gemeinsamervsgemeinsamesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,092
“gemeinsamer” frequency rank
#6,925
“gemeinsames” frequency rank
17017
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gemeinsamer gemeinsames
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gemeinsam Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gemeinsam

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gemeinsamer and gemeinsames apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
gemeinsamer
11 ch
gemeinsames

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gemeinsamer ([ɡəˈmaɪ̯nzaːmɐ]) and gemeinsames ([ɡəˈmaɪ̯nzaːməs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - r in “gemeinsamer” becomes s in “gemeinsames”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17017, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gemeinsamer is recorded at frequency rank #10,092, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈmaɪ̯nzaːmɐ]. gemeinsames is at rank #6,925, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈmaɪ̯nzaːməs].

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 17017, this pair ranks #1,931,071 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gemeinsamer vs gemeinsames

Shared letters: aegimns. Private to "gemeinsamer": r. Private to "gemeinsames": -.

"gemeinsamer" · 11 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCVC  ·  "gemeinsames" · 11 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gemeinsameregmeinsamer · geeminsamer · gemeinasmer · gemeinnsamer · gemeinsaemr · gemeinsamerr · gemeinsammer · gemeinsamre
  • gemeinsamesegmeinsames · geeminsames · gemeinasmes · gemeinnsames · gemeinsaems · gemeinsamess · gemeinsammes · gemeinsamse

Frequency comparison

gemeinsamer#10,092
gemeinsames#6,925

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gemeinsamer" and "gemeinsames" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈmaɪ̯nzaːmɐ] versus [ɡəˈmaɪ̯nzaːməs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gemeinsamer" or "gemeinsames"?
"gemeinsames" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,925 in our German list, against #10,092 for "gemeinsamer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gemeinsamer vs gemeinsames

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gemeinsamer” 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