gemeinvsGemeinenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gemein is a adjective, Gemeinen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gemein” is an adjective and “Gemeinen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,262
“gemein” frequency rank
#19,587
“Gemeinen” frequency rank
24849
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gemein Gemeinen
Definition eine Eigenschaft habend, die mehreren gemeinsam ist Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Gemein

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
gemein
8 ch
Gemeinen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gemein is [ɡəˈmaɪ̯n] while Gemeinen is [ɡəˈmaɪ̯nən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “gemein” sits inside “Gemeinen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24849, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gemein is recorded at frequency rank #5,262, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈmaɪ̯n]. Gemeinen is at rank #19,587, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈmaɪ̯nən].

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 24849, this pair ranks #1,841,766 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gemein vs Gemeinen

Shared letters: egimn. Private to "gemein": -. Private to "Gemeinen": -.

"gemein" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "Gemeinen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gemeinegmein · geemin · gemeinn · gemeni · gemien · gemmein · ggemein · gmeein
  • Gemeinenegmeinen · geeminen · gemeienn · gemeinenn · gemeinnen · gemenien · gemienen · gemmeinen

Frequency comparison

gemein#5,262
Gemeinen#19,587

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gemein" and "Gemeinen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gemein" is an adjective and "Gemeinen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gemein" or "Gemeinen"?
"gemein" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,262 in our German list, against #19,587 for "Gemeinen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gemein vs Gemeinen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gemein”; for a noun, it's “Gemeinen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gemein” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list