Which to use
“gelingen” and “gelitten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,836
- “gelingen” frequency rank
- #10,288
- “gelitten” frequency rank
- 16124
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gelingen | gelitten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas erfolgreich zu Ende bringen, erfolgreich zustande kommen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs leiden |
Where the eye mixes gelingen and gelitten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gelingen and gelitten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: gelingen vs gelitten
A purely visual mix-up. gelingen ([ɡəˈlɪŋən]) and gelitten ([ɡəˈlɪtn̩]) 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 16124, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gelingen is recorded at frequency rank #5,836, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlɪŋən]. gelitten is at rank #10,288, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlɪtn̩].
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 16124, this pair ranks #1,938,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gelingen vs gelitten
Shared letters: egiln. Private to "gelingen": -. Private to "gelitten": t.
"gelingen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "gelitten" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gelingen" and "gelitten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "gelingen" vs "gelitten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gelingen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gelitten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,938,392 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gelingen" and "gelitten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gelitten vs gelobten". 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 #1,938,392 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.