gesätvsgesaugtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,127
“gesät” frequency rank
#43,914
“gesaugt” frequency rank
78041
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gesät gesaugt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs säen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs saugen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gesät and gesaugt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
gesät
7 ch
gesaugt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gesät ([ɡəˈzɛːt]) and gesaugt ([ɡəˈzaʊ̯kt]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78041, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gesät is recorded at frequency rank #34,127, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛːt]. gesaugt is at rank #43,914, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈzaʊ̯kt].

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 78041, this pair ranks #247,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of gesät vs gesaugt

Shared letters: egst. Private to "gesät": ä. Private to "gesaugt": au.

"gesät" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "gesaugt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gesaugtegsaugt · geasugt · gesagut · gesauggt · gesaugtt · gesautg · gessaugt · gesuagt

Frequency comparison

gesät#34,127
gesaugt#43,914

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gesät" and "gesaugt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈzɛːt] versus [ɡəˈzaʊ̯kt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gesät" or "gesaugt"?
"gesät" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,127 in our German list, against #43,914 for "gesaugt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gesät vs gesaugt

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 “gesät” 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