gewalttätigenvsgewalttätigerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,935
“gewalttätigen” frequency rank
#49,733
“gewalttätiger” frequency rank
69668
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gewalttätigen gewalttätiger
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gewalttätig Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gewalttätig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gewalttätigen and gewalttätiger apart are highlighted. They share 12 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

13 ch
gewalttätigen
13 ch
gewalttätiger

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gewalttätigen ([ɡəˈvaltˌtɛːtɪɡn̩]) and gewalttätiger ([ɡəˈvaltˌtɛːtɪɡɐ]) 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 a single letter - n in “gewalttätigen” becomes r in “gewalttätiger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69668, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gewalttätigen is recorded at frequency rank #19,935, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈvaltˌtɛːtɪɡn̩]. gewalttätiger is at rank #49,733, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈvaltˌtɛːtɪɡɐ].

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 69668, this pair ranks #469,578 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of gewalttätigen vs gewalttätiger

Shared letters: aegiltwä. Private to "gewalttätigen": n. Private to "gewalttätiger": r.

"gewalttätigen" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVCVC  ·  "gewalttätiger" · 13 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

gewalttätigen#19,935
gewalttätiger#49,733

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gewalttätigen" and "gewalttätiger" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈvaltˌtɛːtɪɡn̩] versus [ɡəˈvaltˌtɛːtɪɡɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gewalttätigen" or "gewalttätiger"?
"gewalttätigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,935 in our German list, against #49,733 for "gewalttätiger". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gewalttätigen vs gewalttätiger

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 “gewalttätigen” 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