getanvsgetanztWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,182
“getan” frequency rank
#13,847
“getanzt” frequency rank
15029
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature getan getanzt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs tun Partizip Perfekt des Verbs tanzen

Where the eye mixes getan and getanzt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

5 ch
getan
7 ch
getanzt

Visual trap between getan and getanzt

A purely visual mix-up. getan ([ɡəˈtaːn]) and getanzt ([ɡəˈtant͡st]) 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) - “getan” sits inside “getanzt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15029, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

getan is recorded at frequency rank #1,182, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈtaːn]. getanzt is at rank #13,847, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈtant͡st].

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 15029, this pair ranks #1,946,950 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of getan vs getanzt

Shared letters: aegnt. Private to "getan": -. Private to "getanzt": z.

"getan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "getanzt" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • getanegtan · geatn · getann · getna · gettan · ggetan · gtean
  • getanztegtanzt · geatnzt · getannzt · getantz · getanztt · getanzzt · getaznt · getnazt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "getan" and "getanzt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈtaːn] versus [ɡəˈtant͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "getan" or "getanzt"?
"getan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,182 in our German list, against #13,847 for "getanzt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "getan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "getanzt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,946,950 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "getan" and "getanzt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "getanzt vs getränkt". 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 #1,946,950 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list