Which to use
“gescheitert” is an adjective and “geschmiert” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,595
- “gescheitert” frequency rank
- #24,358
- “geschmiert” frequency rank
- 29953
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gescheitert | geschmiert |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | erfolglos geblieben, etwas nicht verwirklicht, ein Ziel nicht erreicht | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs schmieren |
Where the eye mixes gescheitert and geschmiert
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. gescheitert runs 11 letters (CVCCCVVCVCC) against geschmiert's 10 (CVCCCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: gescheitert vs geschmiert
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gescheitert is [ɡəˈʃaɪ̯tɐt] while geschmiert is [ɡəˈʃmiːɐ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29953, 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]. geschmiert is at rank #24,358, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃmiːɐ̯t].
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 29953, this pair ranks #1,757,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gescheitert vs geschmiert
Shared letters: ceghirst. Private to "gescheitert": -. Private to "geschmiert": m.
"gescheitert" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVCC · "geschmiert" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- gescheitert ← egscheitert · gecsheitert · gesccheitert · gescehitert · gescheietrt · gescheiterrt · gescheitertt · gescheitetr
- geschmiert ← egschmiert · gecshmiert · gescchmiert · geschhmiert · geschimert · geschmeirt · geschmierrt · geschmiertt
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gescheitert" and "geschmiert" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "gescheitert" or "geschmiert"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "gescheitert" and "geschmiert" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "gescheitert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "geschmiert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,757,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gescheitert" and "geschmiert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geschmiert vs geschminkt". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,757,113 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.