genugvsgingWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: genug is a pronoun, ging is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“genug” is a pronoun and “ging” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#390
“genug” frequency rank
#345
“ging” frequency rank
735
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature genug ging
Definition ausreichend 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs gehen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set genug and ging apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
genug
4 ch
ging

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

genug and ging form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 735, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

genug is recorded at frequency rank #390, classified as apron, pronounced [ɡəˈnuːk]. ging is at rank #345, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡɪŋ].

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 735, this pair ranks #2,005,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

genug#390
ging#345

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "genug" and "ging" be used interchangeably?
No, "genug" and "ging" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering genug vs ging

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “genug”; for a verb, it's “ging”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “genug” 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