GenomvsGenusWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#39,377
“Genom” frequency rank
#24,736
“Genus” frequency rank
64113
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Genom Genus
Definition die Gesamtheit der verschiedenen, nichtredundanten DNA-Sequenzen (bei manchen Viren auch RNA-Sequenzen) eines Organismus oder Zellorganells grammatische Kategorie von Substantiven, Adjektiven, Artikeln, Pronomen (also von Nomen im traditionellen weiteren Sinn)

Where the eye mixes Genom and Genus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Genom
5 ch
Genus

Why the eye confuses Genom with Genus

A purely visual mix-up. Genom ([ɡeˈnoːm]) and Genus ([ˈɡɛnʊs]) 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 64113, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Genom is recorded at frequency rank #39,377, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡeˈnoːm]. Genus is at rank #24,736, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡɛnʊs].

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 64113, this pair ranks #653,002 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Genom vs Genus

Shared letters: egn. Private to "Genom": mo. Private to "Genus": su.

"Genom" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Genus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Genomegnom · genmo · gennom · genomm · geonm · ggenom · gneom
  • Genusegnus · gennus · gensu · geuns · ggenus · gneus

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Genom" and "Genus" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡeˈnoːm] versus [ˈɡɛnʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Genom" or "Genus" show up more?
"Genus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,736 in our German list, against #39,377 for "Genom". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Genom" and "Genus" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Genom" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Genus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #653,002 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Genom" and "Genus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "genehm vs Genom". 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 #653,002 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