Which to use
“Gerücht” and “Gesuch” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,031
- “Gerücht” frequency rank
- #26,430
- “Gesuch” frequency rank
- 35461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gerücht | Gesuch |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Nachricht, die mündlich verbreitet wird und deren Wahrheitsgehalt zweifelhaft ist | Schreiben, das jemand an eine Behörde richtet, um eine Genehmigung oder Bewilligung zu erhalten |
Where the eye mixes Gerücht and Gesuch
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Gerücht runs 7 letters (CVCVCCC) against Gesuch's 6 (CVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Gerücht with Gesuch
A purely visual mix-up. Gerücht ([ɡəˈʁʏçt]) and Gesuch ([ɡəˈzuːx]) 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 35461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Gerücht is recorded at frequency rank #9,031, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʁʏçt]. Gesuch is at rank #26,430, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈzuːx].
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 35461, this pair ranks #1,639,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Gerücht vs Gesuch
Shared letters: cegh. Private to "Gerücht": rtü. Private to "Gesuch": su.
"Gerücht" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC · "Gesuch" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Gesuch ← egsuch · gescuh · gessuch · gesucch · gesuchh · gesuhc · geusch · ggesuch
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Gerücht" and "Gesuch" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Gerücht" or "Gesuch" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Gerücht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gesuch" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,639,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Gerücht" and "Gesuch" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gemach vs Gesuch". 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 #1,639,427 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.