gelingtvsgeringWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gelingt is a verb, gering is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gelingt” is a verb and “gering” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,123
“gelingt” frequency rank
#3,317
“gering” frequency rank
6440
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gelingt gering
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gelingen klein oder unbedeutend in Bezug auf die Menge, die Anzahl, den Umfang, die Qualität

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gelingt and gering apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
gelingt
6 ch
gering

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gelingt is [ɡəˈlɪŋt] while gering is [ɡəˈʁɪŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6440, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gelingt is recorded at frequency rank #3,123, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈlɪŋt]. gering is at rank #3,317, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʁɪŋ].

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 6440, this pair ranks #1,991,635 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gelingt vs gering

Shared letters: egin. Private to "gelingt": lt. Private to "gering": r.

"gelingt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "gering" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gelingteglingt · geilngt · gelignt · gelinggt · gelingtt · gelinngt · gelintg · gellingt
  • geringegring · geirng · gerign · geringg · gerinng · gernig · gerring · ggering

Frequency comparison

gelingt#3,123
gering#3,317

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gelingt" and "gering" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gelingt" is a verb and "gering" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gelingt" or "gering"?
"gelingt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,123 in our German list, against #3,317 for "gering". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gelingt vs gering

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gelingt”; for an adjective, it's “gering”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gelingt” 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