GerüchevsGerüchtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,217
“Gerüche” frequency rank
#9,031
“Gerücht” frequency rank
37248
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gerüche Gerücht
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Geruch eine Nachricht, die mündlich verbreitet wird und deren Wahrheitsgehalt zweifelhaft ist

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Gerüche
7 ch
Gerücht

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Gerüche ([ɡəˈʁʏçə]) and Gerücht ([ɡəˈʁʏçt]) 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 a single letter - e in “Gerüche” becomes t in “Gerücht”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37248, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gerüche is recorded at frequency rank #28,217, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʁʏçə]. Gerücht is at rank #9,031, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʁʏçt].

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 37248, this pair ranks #1,595,080 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Gerüche vs Gerücht

Shared letters: ceghrü. Private to "Gerüche": -. Private to "Gerücht": t.

"Gerüche" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "Gerücht" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Frequency comparison

Gerüche#28,217
Gerücht#9,031

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gerüche" and "Gerücht" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʁʏçə] versus [ɡəˈʁʏçt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gerüche" or "Gerücht"?
"Gerücht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,031 in our German list, against #28,217 for "Gerüche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Gerüche vs Gerücht

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 “Gerüche” 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