genügevsgerügtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,896
“genüge” frequency rank
#44,645
“gerügt” frequency rank
60541
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature genüge gerügt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs genügen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs rügen

Where the eye mixes genüge and gerügt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
genüge
6 ch
gerügt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. genüge ([ɡəˈnyːɡə]) and gerügt ([ɡəˈʁyːkt]) 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 60541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

genüge is recorded at frequency rank #15,896, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈnyːɡə]. gerügt is at rank #44,645, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʁyːkt].

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 60541, this pair ranks #783,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of genüge vs gerügt

Shared letters: egü. Private to "genüge": n. Private to "gerügt": rt.

"genüge" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "gerügt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "genüge" and "gerügt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈnyːɡə] versus [ɡəˈʁyːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "genüge" or "gerügt"?
"genüge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,896 in our German list, against #44,645 for "gerügt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list