geringvsgeringenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,317
“gering” frequency rank
#4,043
“geringen” frequency rank
7360
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gering geringen
Definition klein oder unbedeutend in Bezug auf die Menge, die Anzahl, den Umfang, die Qualität Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gering

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gering and geringen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gering
8 ch
geringen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gering ([ɡəˈʁɪŋ]) and geringen ([ɡəˈʁɪŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “gering” sits inside “geringen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7360, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gering is recorded at frequency rank #3,317, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʁɪŋ]. geringen is at rank #4,043, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʁɪŋən].

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 7360, this pair ranks #1,988,439 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gering vs geringen

Shared letters: eginr. Private to "gering": -. Private to "geringen": -.

"gering" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "geringen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • geringegring · geirng · gerign · geringg · gerinng · gernig · gerring · ggering
  • geringenegringen · geirngen · gerignen · gerinegn · geringenn · geringgen · geringne · gerinngen

Frequency comparison

gering#3,317
geringen#4,043

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gering" and "geringen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʁɪŋ] versus [ɡəˈʁɪŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gering" or "geringen"?
"gering" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,317 in our German list, against #4,043 for "geringen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gering vs geringen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gering” 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