Geschäft vs Geschäfts, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#1,731
“Geschäft” frequency rank: #13,376
“Geschäfts” frequency rank: 15107
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Geschäft	Geschäfts
Definition	gewinnorientierte Unternehmung; kaufmännische Transaktion; Austausch von Gütern und Dienstleistungen	Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Geschäft

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Geschäft and Geschäfts apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch

Geschäft

9 ch

Geschäfts

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Geschäft ([ɡəˈʃɛft]) and Geschäfts ([ɡəˈʃɛft͡s]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Geschäft” sits inside “Geschäfts”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15107, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Geschäft is recorded at frequency rank #1,731, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃɛft]. Geschäfts is at rank #13,376, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃɛft͡s].

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 15107, this pair ranks #1,946,338 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Geschäft vs Geschäfts

Shared letters: cefghstä. Private to "Geschäft": -. Private to "Geschäfts": -.

"Geschäft" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "Geschäfts" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

Geschäft#1,731

Geschäfts#13,376

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Geschäft" and "Geschäfts" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃɛft] versus [ɡəˈʃɛft͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Geschäft" or "Geschäfts"?

"Geschäft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,731 in our German list, against #13,376 for "Geschäfts". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Geschäft vs Geschäfts

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 “Geschäft” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable