Which to use
“gering” is an adjective and “ging” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,317
- “gering” frequency rank
- #345
- “ging” frequency rank
- 3662
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gering | ging |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | klein oder unbedeutend in Bezug auf die Menge, die Anzahl, den Umfang, die Qualität | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs gehen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gering and ging apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
gering and ging form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3662, 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]. ging is at rank #345, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡɪŋ].
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 3662, this pair ranks #1,999,684 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gering" and "ging" be used interchangeably?
Remembering gering vs ging
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gering”; for a verb, it's “ging”.
- 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