gesätvsgetanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,127
“gesät” frequency rank
#1,182
“getan” frequency rank
35309
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gesät getan
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs säen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs tun

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gesät and getan apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
gesät
5 ch
getan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gesät ([ɡəˈzɛːt]) and getan ([ɡəˈtaːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35309, 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]. getan is at rank #1,182, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈtaːn].

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 35309, this pair ranks #1,643,043 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gesät vs getan

Shared letters: egt. Private to "gesät": . Private to "getan": an.

"gesät" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "getan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • getanegtan · geatn · getann · getna · gettan · ggetan · gtean

Frequency comparison

gesät#34,127
getan#1,182

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gesät" and "getan" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈzɛːt] versus [ɡəˈtaːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gesät" or "getan"?
"getan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,182 in our German list, against #34,127 for "gesät". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gesät vs getan

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