Which to use
“genau” is an adjective and “genug” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #211
- “genau” frequency rank
- #390
- “genug” frequency rank
- 601
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | genau | genug |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gründlich und sorgfältig, was das Einhalten von selbstgesetzten oder fremden Regeln betrifft | ausreichend |
Where the eye mixes genau and genug
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: genau is [ɡəˈnaʊ̯] while genug is [ɡəˈnuːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
genau is recorded at frequency rank #211, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈnaʊ̯]. genug is at rank #390, tagged as apron, pronounced [ɡəˈnuːk].
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 601, this pair ranks #2,005,632 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of genau vs genug
Shared letters: egnu. Private to "genau": a. Private to "genug": -.
"genau" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "genug" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC