gewaltigvsgewaltigesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#7,478
“gewaltig” frequency rank
#31,074
“gewaltiges” frequency rank
38552
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gewaltig gewaltiges
Definition sehr groß oder sehr bedeutend Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gewaltig

Where the eye mixes gewaltig and gewaltiges

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. gewaltig runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against gewaltiges's 10 (CVCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
gewaltig
10 ch
gewaltiges

Visual trap between gewaltig and gewaltiges

A purely visual mix-up. gewaltig ([ɡəˈvaltɪç]) and gewaltiges ([ɡəˈvaltɪɡəs]) 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) - “gewaltig” sits inside “gewaltiges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38552, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gewaltig is recorded at frequency rank #7,478, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈvaltɪç]. gewaltiges is at rank #31,074, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈvaltɪɡəs].

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 38552, this pair ranks #1,560,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gewaltig vs gewaltiges

Shared letters: aegiltw. Private to "gewaltig": -. Private to "gewaltiges": s.

"gewaltig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "gewaltiges" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gewaltigegwaltig · geawltig · gewalitg · gewalltig · gewaltgi · gewaltigg · gewalttig · gewatlig
  • gewaltigesegwaltiges · geawltiges · gewalitges · gewalltiges · gewaltgies · gewaltiegs · gewaltigess · gewaltigges

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "gewaltig" for "gewaltiges" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈvaltɪç] versus [ɡəˈvaltɪɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gewaltig" vs "gewaltiges" - which ranks higher?
"gewaltig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,478 in our German list, against #31,074 for "gewaltiges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gewaltig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gewaltiges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,560,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gewaltig" and "gewaltiges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gewaltiger vs gewaltiges". 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 #1,560,903 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