geschenktvsgeschmecktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,963
“geschenkt” frequency rank
#15,372
“geschmeckt” frequency rank
19335
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature geschenkt geschmeckt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs schenken Partizip Perfekt des Verbs schmecken

Where the eye mixes geschenkt and geschmeckt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. geschenkt runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCCC) against geschmeckt's 10 (CVCCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
geschenkt
10 ch
geschmeckt

Why the eye confuses geschenkt with geschmeckt

A purely visual mix-up. geschenkt ([ɡəˈʃɛŋkt]) and geschmeckt ([ɡəˈʃmɛkt]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

geschenkt is recorded at frequency rank #3,963, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃɛŋkt]. geschmeckt is at rank #15,372, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃmɛkt].

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 19335, this pair ranks #1,909,442 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of geschenkt vs geschmeckt

Shared letters: ceghkst. Private to "geschenkt": n. Private to "geschmeckt": m.

"geschenkt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC  ·  "geschmeckt" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • geschenkt ← egschenkt · gecshenkt · gescchenkt · gescehnkt · gescheknt · geschenkkt · geschenktt · geschennkt
  • geschmeckt ← egschmeckt · gecshmeckt · gescchmeckt · geschemckt · geschhmeckt · geschmcekt · geschmecckt · geschmeckkt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "geschenkt" for "geschmeckt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃɛŋkt] versus [ɡəˈʃmɛkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "geschenkt" vs "geschmeckt" - which ranks higher?
"geschenkt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,963 in our German list, against #15,372 for "geschmeckt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "geschenkt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "geschmeckt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,909,442 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "geschenkt" and "geschmeckt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geschmeckt vs geschmückte". 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 #1,909,442 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list