Which to use
“gesperrt” is an adjective and “gezerrt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,044
- “gesperrt” frequency rank
- #31,076
- “gezerrt” frequency rank
- 34120
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gesperrt | gezerrt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einer Sperre versehen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs zerren |
Where the eye mixes gesperrt and gezerrt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gesperrt runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCC) against gezerrt's 7 (CVCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gesperrt with gezerrt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gesperrt is [ɡəˈʃpɛʁt] while gezerrt is [ɡəˈt͡sɛʁt]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34120, 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]. gezerrt is at rank #31,076, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈt͡sɛʁt].
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 34120, this pair ranks #1,670,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gesperrt vs gezerrt
Shared letters: egrt. Private to "gesperrt": ps. Private to "gezerrt": z.
"gesperrt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC · "gezerrt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gesperrt" for "gezerrt" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gesperrt" vs "gezerrt" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "gesperrt" and "gezerrt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "gesperrt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gezerrt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,670,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gesperrt" and "gezerrt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Geert vs gezerrt". 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 #1,670,550 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.