gescheitertvsgescheiterteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,595
“gescheitert” frequency rank
#23,155
“gescheiterte” frequency rank
28750
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gescheitert gescheiterte
Definition erfolglos geblieben, etwas nicht verwirklicht, ein Ziel nicht erreicht Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gescheitert

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gescheitert and gescheiterte apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
gescheitert
12 ch
gescheiterte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gescheitert ([ɡəˈʃaɪ̯tɐt]) and gescheiterte ([ɡəˈʃaɪ̯tɐtə]) 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) - “gescheitert” sits inside “gescheiterte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28750, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gescheitert is recorded at frequency rank #5,595, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʃaɪ̯tɐt]. gescheiterte is at rank #23,155, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʃaɪ̯tɐtə].

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 28750, this pair ranks #1,779,307 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gescheitert vs gescheiterte

Shared letters: ceghirst. Private to "gescheitert": -. Private to "gescheiterte": -.

"gescheitert" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCC  ·  "gescheiterte" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gescheitertegscheitert · gecsheitert · gesccheitert · gescehitert · gescheietrt · gescheiterrt · gescheitertt · gescheitetr
  • gescheiterteegscheiterte · gecsheiterte · gesccheiterte · gescehiterte · gescheietrte · gescheiteret · gescheiterrte · gescheitertte

Frequency comparison

gescheitert#5,595
gescheiterte#23,155

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gescheitert" and "gescheiterte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃaɪ̯tɐt] versus [ɡəˈʃaɪ̯tɐtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gescheitert" or "gescheiterte"?
"gescheitert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,595 in our German list, against #23,155 for "gescheiterte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gescheitert vs gescheiterte

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 “gescheitert” 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