gelingtvsgetilgtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,123
“gelingt” frequency rank
#34,128
“getilgt” frequency rank
37251
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gelingt getilgt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gelingen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs tilgen

Where the eye mixes gelingt and getilgt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gelingt and getilgt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
gelingt
7 ch
getilgt

Look-alike desk: gelingt vs getilgt

A purely visual mix-up. gelingt ([ɡəˈlɪŋt]) and getilgt ([ɡəˈtɪlkt]) 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 37251, 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]. getilgt is at rank #34,128, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈtɪlkt].

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 37251, this pair ranks #1,595,010 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gelingt vs getilgt

Shared letters: egilt. Private to "gelingt": n. Private to "getilgt": -.

"gelingt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC  ·  "getilgt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gelingt ← eglingt · geilngt · gelignt · gelinggt · gelingtt · gelinngt · gelintg · gellingt
  • getilgt ← egtilgt · geitlgt · getiglt · getilggt · getilgtt · getillgt · getiltg · getligt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gelingt" and "getilgt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈlɪŋt] versus [ɡəˈtɪlkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gelingt" vs "getilgt" - which ranks higher?
"gelingt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,123 in our German list, against #34,128 for "getilgt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gelingt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "getilgt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,595,010 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gelingt" and "getilgt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "getaggt vs getilgt". 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 #1,595,010 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list