GewehrvsGewehreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,443
“Gewehr” frequency rank
#20,603
“Gewehre” frequency rank
32046
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gewehr Gewehre
Definition Schusswaffe ab 30 cm Gesamtlänge Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Gewehr

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Gewehr and Gewehre apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Gewehr
7 ch
Gewehre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Gewehr ([ɡəˈveːɐ̯]) and Gewehre ([ɡəˈveːʁə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Gewehr” sits inside “Gewehre”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32046, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gewehr is recorded at frequency rank #11,443, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈveːɐ̯]. Gewehre is at rank #20,603, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡəˈveːʁə].

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 32046, this pair ranks #1,715,803 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Gewehr vs Gewehre

Shared letters: eghrw. Private to "Gewehr": -. Private to "Gewehre": -.

"Gewehr" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "Gewehre" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Gewehregwehr · geewhr · gewehhr · gewehrr · gewerh · gewher · gewwehr · ggewehr
  • Gewehreegwehre · geewhre · geweher · gewehhre · gewehrre · gewerhe · gewhere · gewwehre

Frequency comparison

Gewehr#11,443
Gewehre#20,603

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gewehr" and "Gewehre" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈveːɐ̯] versus [ɡəˈveːʁə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gewehr" or "Gewehre"?
"Gewehr" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,443 in our German list, against #20,603 for "Gewehre". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Gewehr vs Gewehre

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 “Gewehr” 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