Which to use
“gemein” is an adjective and “Genen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,262
- “gemein” frequency rank
- #26,026
- “Genen” frequency rank
- 31288
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gemein | Genen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Eigenschaft habend, die mehreren gemeinsam ist | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Gen |
Where the eye mixes gemein and Genen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. gemein runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against Genen's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gemein with Genen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gemein is [ɡəˈmaɪ̯n] while Genen is [ˈɡeːnən]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31288, 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]. Genen is at rank #26,026, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡeːnən].
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 31288, this pair ranks #1,731,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gemein vs Genen
Shared letters: egn. Private to "gemein": im. Private to "Genen": -.
"gemein" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "Genen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gemein" and "Genen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "gemein" or "Genen" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "gemein" and "Genen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "gemein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Genen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,731,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gemein" and "Genen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Genen vs given". 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 #1,731,155 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.