gewagtevsgewählteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,141
“gewagte” frequency rank
#8,567
“gewählte” frequency rank
46708
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gewagte gewählte
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gewagt Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gewählt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gewagte and gewählte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
gewagte
8 ch
gewählte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gewagte ([ɡəˈvaːktə]) and gewählte ([ɡəˈvɛːltə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46708, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gewagte is recorded at frequency rank #38,141, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈvaːktə]. gewählte is at rank #8,567, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈvɛːltə].

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 46708, this pair ranks #1,309,760 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gewagte vs gewählte

Shared letters: egtw. Private to "gewagte": a. Private to "gewählte": hlä.

"gewagte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "gewählte" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gewagteegwagte · geawgte · gewaget · gewaggte · gewagtte · gewatge · gewgate · gewwagte

Frequency comparison

gewagte#38,141
gewählte#8,567

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gewagte" and "gewählte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈvaːktə] versus [ɡəˈvɛːltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gewagte" or "gewählte"?
"gewählte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,567 in our German list, against #38,141 for "gewagte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gewagte vs gewählte

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 “gewagte” 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