Which to use
“genügen” and “gesungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,479
- “genügen” frequency rank
- #6,541
- “gesungen” frequency rank
- 17020
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | genügen | gesungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | für einen bestimmten Zweck in ausreichendem Maß zur Verfügung stehen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs singen |
Where the eye mixes genügen and gesungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. genügen runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against gesungen's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: genügen vs gesungen
A purely visual mix-up. genügen ([ɡəˈnyːɡn̩]) and gesungen ([ɡəˈzʊŋən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17020, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
genügen is recorded at frequency rank #10,479, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈnyːɡn̩]. gesungen is at rank #6,541, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈzʊŋən].
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 17020, this pair ranks #1,931,049 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of genügen vs gesungen
Shared letters: egn. Private to "genügen": ü. Private to "gesungen": su.
"genügen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "gesungen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gesungen ← egsungen · gesnugen · gessungen · gesugnen · gesunegn · gesungenn · gesunggen · gesungne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "genügen" for "gesungen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "genügen" or "gesungen" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "genügen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gesungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,931,049 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "genügen" and "gesungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "genügen vs gerungen". 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 #1,931,049 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.