gesperrtvsgesperrteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,044
“gesperrt” frequency rank
#48,931
“gesperrte” frequency rank
51975
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gesperrt gesperrte
Definition mit einer Sperre versehen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gesperrt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gesperrt and gesperrte apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
gesperrt
9 ch
gesperrte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gesperrt ([ɡəˈʃpɛʁt]) and gesperrte ([ɡəˈʃpɛʁtə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “gesperrt” sits inside “gesperrte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51975, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gesperrt is recorded at frequency rank #3,044, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpɛʁt]. gesperrte is at rank #48,931, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpɛʁtə].

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 51975, this pair ranks #1,114,749 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gesperrt vs gesperrte

Shared letters: egprst. Private to "gesperrt": -. Private to "gesperrte": -.

"gesperrt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "gesperrte" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gesperrtegsperrt · gepserrt · geseprrt · gesperrtt · gespert · gespertr · gespperrt · gesprert
  • gesperrteegsperrte · gepserrte · geseprrte · gesperret · gesperrtte · gesperte · gespertre · gespperrte

Frequency comparison

gesperrt#3,044
gesperrte#48,931

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gesperrt" and "gesperrte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃpɛʁt] versus [ɡəˈʃpɛʁtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gesperrt" or "gesperrte"?
"gesperrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,044 in our German list, against #48,931 for "gesperrte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gesperrt vs gesperrte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gesperrt” 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