gesellvsGesellenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gesell is a verb, Gesellen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gesell” is a verb and “Gesellen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,726
“gesell” frequency rank
#16,164
“Gesellen” frequency rank
65890
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gesell Gesellen
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gesellen Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Geselle

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gesell and Gesellen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gesell
8 ch
Gesellen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gesell is [ɡəˈzɛl] while Gesellen is [ɡəˈzɛlən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “gesell” sits inside “Gesellen”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65890, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gesell is recorded at frequency rank #49,726, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛl]. Gesellen is at rank #16,164, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈzɛlən].

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 65890, this pair ranks #591,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gesell vs Gesellen

Shared letters: egls. Private to "gesell": -. Private to "Gesellen": n.

"gesell" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "Gesellen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gesellegsell · geesll · gesel · geslel · gessell · ggesell · gseell
  • Gesellenegsellen · geesllen · geseleln · geselen · gesellenn · gesellne · geslelen · gessellen

Frequency comparison

gesell#49,726
Gesellen#16,164

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gesell" and "Gesellen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gesell" is a verb and "Gesellen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gesell" or "Gesellen"?
"Gesellen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,164 in our German list, against #49,726 for "gesell". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gesell vs Gesellen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gesell”; for a noun, it's “Gesellen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gesell” 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