Which to use
“Gespenst” and “Gespenster” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,601
- “Gespenst” frequency rank
- #28,219
- “Gespenster” frequency rank
- 48820
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gespenst | Gespenster |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geist; ein meist Furcht einflößendes, übernatürliches Wesen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Gespenst |
Where the eye mixes Gespenst and Gespenster
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Gespenst runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCC) against Gespenster's 10 (CVCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Gespenst vs Gespenster
A purely visual mix-up. Gespenst ([ɡəˈʃpɛnst]) and Gespenster ([ɡəˈʃpɛnstɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Gespenst” sits inside “Gespenster”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Gespenst is recorded at frequency rank #20,601, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpɛnst]. Gespenster is at rank #28,219, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpɛnstɐ].
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 48820, this pair ranks #1,234,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Gespenst vs Gespenster
Shared letters: egnpst. Private to "Gespenst": -. Private to "Gespenster": r.
"Gespenst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC · "Gespenster" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Gespenst ← egspenst · gepsenst · gesepnst · gespennst · gespensst · gespenstt · gespents · gespesnt
- Gespenster ← egspenster · gepsenster · gesepnster · gespennster · gespensetr · gespensster · gespensterr · gespenstre
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Gespenst" for "Gespenster" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Gespenst" or "Gespenster" show up more?
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 "Gespenst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Gespenster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,234,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Gespenst" and "Gespenster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gepennt vs Gespenst". 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 #1,234,427 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.