Which to use
“Geschäft” is a noun and “geschämt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,731
- “Geschäft” frequency rank
- #41,854
- “geschämt” frequency rank
- 43585
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Geschäft | geschämt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gewinnorientierte Unternehmung; kaufmännische Transaktion; Austausch von Gütern und Dienstleistungen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs schämen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Geschäft and geschämt apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Geschäft is [ɡəˈʃɛft] while geschämt is [ɡəˈʃɛːmt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - f in “Geschäft” becomes m in “geschämt”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43585, 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]. geschämt is at rank #41,854, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃɛːmt].
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 43585, this pair ranks #1,413,456 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Geschäft vs geschämt
Shared letters: ceghstä. Private to "Geschäft": f. Private to "geschämt": m.
"Geschäft" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "geschämt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Geschäft" and "geschämt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Geschäft" or "geschämt"?
Remembering Geschäft vs geschämt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Geschäft”; for a verb, it's “geschämt”.
- 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