GeschlechtervsGeschlechtesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,873
“Geschlechter” frequency rank
#43,217
“Geschlechtes” frequency rank
52090
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Geschlechter Geschlechtes
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Geschlecht Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Geschlecht

Where the eye mixes Geschlechter and Geschlechtes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. Geschlechter and Geschlechtes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCCCVCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

12 ch
Geschlechter
12 ch
Geschlechtes

Why the eye confuses Geschlechter with Geschlechtes

A purely visual mix-up. Geschlechter ([ɡəˈʃlɛçtɐ]) and Geschlechtes ([ɡəˈʃlɛçtəs]) 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 a single letter - r in “Geschlechter” becomes s in “Geschlechtes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52090, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Geschlechter is recorded at frequency rank #8,873, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃlɛçtɐ]. Geschlechtes is at rank #43,217, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃlɛçtəs].

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 52090, this pair ranks #1,110,344 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Geschlechter vs Geschlechtes

Shared letters: ceghlst. Private to "Geschlechter": r. Private to "Geschlechtes": -.

"Geschlechter" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC  ·  "Geschlechtes" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Geschlechter ← egschlechter · gecshlechter · gescchlechter · geschelchter · geschhlechter · geschlcehter · geschlecchter · geschlechetr
  • Geschlechtes ← egschlechtes · gecshlechtes · gescchlechtes · geschelchtes · geschhlechtes · geschlcehtes · geschlecchtes · geschlechets

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Geschlechter" for "Geschlechtes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃlɛçtɐ] versus [ɡəˈʃlɛçtəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Geschlechter" or "Geschlechtes"?
"Geschlechter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,873 in our German list, against #43,217 for "Geschlechtes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Geschlechter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Geschlechtes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,110,344 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Geschlechter" and "Geschlechtes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "geschlachtet vs Geschlechtes". 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 #1,110,344 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