geliehenvsgewiesenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“geliehen” and “gewiesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,736
“geliehen” frequency rank
#39,392
“gewiesen” frequency rank
62128
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature geliehen gewiesen
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs leihen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs weisen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set geliehen and gewiesen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
geliehen
8 ch
gewiesen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. geliehen ([ɡəˈliːən]) and gewiesen ([ɡəˈviːzn̩]) 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 62128, 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]. gewiesen is at rank #39,392, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈviːzn̩].

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 62128, this pair ranks #724,187 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of geliehen vs gewiesen

Shared letters: egin. Private to "geliehen": hl. Private to "gewiesen": sw.

"geliehen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "gewiesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • geliehenegliehen · geilehen · geleihen · gelieehn · geliehenn · geliehhen · geliehne · geliheen
  • gewiesenegwiesen · geiwesen · geweisen · gewieesn · gewiesenn · gewiesne · gewiessen · gewiseen

Frequency comparison

geliehen#22,736
gewiesen#39,392

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "geliehen" and "gewiesen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈliːən] versus [ɡəˈviːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "geliehen" or "gewiesen"?
"geliehen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,736 in our German list, against #39,392 for "gewiesen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering geliehen vs gewiesen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “geliehen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list