GerüchevsGerüchteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,217
“Gerüche” frequency rank
#6,190
“Gerüchte” frequency rank
34407
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gerüche Gerüchte
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Geruch Nebenform des Dativ Singular des Substantivs Gerücht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Gerüche and Gerüchte apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Gerüche
8 ch
Gerüchte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Gerüche ([ɡəˈʁʏçə]) and Gerüchte ([ɡəˈʁʏçtə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34407, 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]. Gerüchte is at rank #6,190, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʁʏçtə].

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 34407, this pair ranks #1,664,038 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Gerüche vs Gerüchte

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

"Gerüche" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "Gerüchte" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV

Frequency comparison

Gerüche#28,217
Gerüchte#6,190

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gerüche" and "Gerüchte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʁʏçə] versus [ɡəˈʁʏçtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gerüche" or "Gerüchte"?
"Gerüchte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,190 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 Gerüchte

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