genügenvsgingenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,479
“genügen” frequency rank
#1,733
“gingen” frequency rank
12212
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature genügen gingen
Definition für einen bestimmten Zweck in ausreichendem Maß zur Verfügung stehen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs gehen

Where the eye mixes genügen and gingen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
genügen
6 ch
gingen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. genügen ([ɡəˈnyːɡn̩]) and gingen ([ˈɡɪŋən]) 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 12212, 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]. gingen is at rank #1,733, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡɪŋən].

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 12212, this pair ranks #1,965,526 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of genügen vs gingen

Shared letters: egn. Private to "genügen": ü. Private to "gingen": i.

"genügen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "gingen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gingenggingen · gignen · ginegn · gingenn · ginggen · gingne · ginngen · gnigen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "genügen" and "gingen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈnyːɡn̩] versus [ˈɡɪŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "genügen" or "gingen"?
"gingen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,733 in our German list, against #10,479 for "genügen". 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