Which to use
“gering” and “gierig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,317
- “gering” frequency rank
- #20,274
- “gierig” frequency rank
- 23591
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gering | gierig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | klein oder unbedeutend in Bezug auf die Menge, die Anzahl, den Umfang, die Qualität | triebartig danach verlangend, etwas zu bekommen oder zu besitzen |
Where the eye mixes gering and gierig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gering (CVCVCC) and gierig (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses gering with gierig
A purely visual mix-up. gering ([ɡəˈʁɪŋ]) and gierig ([ˈɡiːʁɪç]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23591, 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]. gierig is at rank #20,274, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡiːʁɪç].
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 23591, this pair ranks #1,859,251 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gering vs gierig
Shared letters: egir. Private to "gering": n. Private to "gierig": -.
"gering" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "gierig" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gering" for "gierig" ever safe?
Which is more common, "gering" or "gierig"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gering" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gierig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,859,251 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gering" and "gierig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gierig vs gierigen". 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 #1,859,251 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.