Which to use
“gerade” is an adjective and “Gerste” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #155
- “gerade” frequency rank
- #30,082
- “Gerste” frequency rank
- 30237
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gerade | Gerste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht gebogen oder gekrümmt | eine gedeihende Getreidepflanze mit kurzem Halm und langen Grannen, deren Körner besonders zum Bierbrauen und zu Futterzwecken verwendet werden |
Where the eye mixes gerade and Gerste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses gerade with Gerste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gerade is [ɡəˈʁaːdə] while Gerste is [ˈɡɛʁstə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30237, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gerade is recorded at frequency rank #155, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʁaːdə]. Gerste is at rank #30,082, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡɛʁstə].
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 30237, this pair ranks #1,751,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gerade vs Gerste
Shared letters: egr. Private to "gerade": ad. Private to "Gerste": st.
"gerade" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "Gerste" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gerade" and "Gerste" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gerade" or "Gerste"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gerade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gerste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,751,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gerade" and "Gerste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gerste vs geübte". 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 #1,751,786 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.