Which to use
“geliehen” and “gelingen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,736
- “geliehen” frequency rank
- #5,836
- “gelingen” frequency rank
- 28572
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | geliehen | gelingen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs leihen | etwas erfolgreich zu Ende bringen, erfolgreich zustande kommen |
Where the eye mixes geliehen and gelingen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. geliehen (CVCVVCVC) and gelingen (CVCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses geliehen with gelingen
A purely visual mix-up. geliehen ([ɡəˈliːən]) and gelingen ([ɡəˈlɪŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28572, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
geliehen is recorded at frequency rank #22,736, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈliːən]. gelingen is at rank #5,836, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlɪŋən].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 28572, this pair ranks #1,782,396 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of geliehen vs gelingen
Shared letters: egiln. Private to "geliehen": h. Private to "gelingen": -.
"geliehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "gelingen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "geliehen" and "gelingen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "geliehen" or "gelingen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "geliehen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gelingen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,782,396 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "geliehen" and "gelingen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geliehen vs gerieben". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,782,396 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.