Which to use
“Gespenst” is a noun and “gesprengt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,601
- “Gespenst” frequency rank
- #13,378
- “gesprengt” frequency rank
- 33979
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Gespenst | gesprengt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geist; ein meist Furcht einflößendes, übernatürliches Wesen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs sprengen |
Where the eye mixes Gespenst and gesprengt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Gespenst runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCC) against gesprengt's 9 (CVCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Gespenst with gesprengt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Gespenst is [ɡəˈʃpɛnst] while gesprengt is [ɡəˈʃpʁɛŋt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33979, 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]. gesprengt is at rank #13,378, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpʁɛŋt].
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 33979, this pair ranks #1,673,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Gespenst vs gesprengt
Shared letters: egnpst. Private to "Gespenst": -. Private to "gesprengt": r.
"Gespenst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC · "gesprengt" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Gespenst" for "gesprengt" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Gespenst" or "gesprengt"?
Useful next steps
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 "gesprengt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,673,765 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Gespenst" and "gesprengt" 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 #1,673,765 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.