GeschlechtervsGeschlechtsTell them apart

Which to use

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

#8,873
“Geschlechter” frequency rank
#10,858
“Geschlechts” frequency rank
19731
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the eye mixes Geschlechter and Geschlechts

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Geschlechter runs 12 letters (CVCCCCVCCCVC) against Geschlechts's 11 (CVCCCCVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
Geschlechter
11 ch
Geschlechts

Look-alike desk: Geschlechter vs Geschlechts

A purely visual mix-up. Geschlechter ([ɡəˈʃlɛçtɐ]) and Geschlechts ([ɡəˈʃlɛçt͡s]) 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 19731, 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]. Geschlechts is at rank #10,858, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃlɛçt͡s].

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 19731, this pair ranks #1,905,201 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Geschlechter vs Geschlechts

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

"Geschlechter" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCVC  ·  "Geschlechts" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Geschlechter ← egschlechter · gecshlechter · gescchlechter · geschelchter · geschhlechter · geschlcehter · geschlecchter · geschlechetr
  • Geschlechts ← egschlechts · gecshlechts · gescchlechts · geschelchts · geschhlechts · geschlcehts · geschlecchts · geschlechhts

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Geschlechter" for "Geschlechts" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃlɛçtɐ] versus [ɡəˈʃlɛçt͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Geschlechter" or "Geschlechts" show up more?
"Geschlechter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,873 in our German list, against #10,858 for "Geschlechts". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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 "Geschlechts" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,905,201 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Geschlechter" and "Geschlechts" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Geschlechtes vs Geschlechts". 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 #1,905,201 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