Which to use
“gewesen” is an adjective and “gewiesen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #358
- “gewesen” frequency rank
- #39,392
- “gewiesen” frequency rank
- 39750
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gewesen | gewiesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Vergangenheit existierend; der Vergangenheit angehörig | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs weisen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gewesen and gewiesen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gewesen is [ɡəˈveːzn̩] while gewiesen is [ɡəˈviːzn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39750, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gewesen is recorded at frequency rank #358, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈveːzn̩]. gewiesen is at rank #39,392, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈviːzn̩].
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 39750, this pair ranks #1,527,989 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gewesen vs gewiesen
Shared letters: egnsw. Private to "gewesen": -. Private to "gewiesen": i.
"gewesen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "gewiesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gewesen" and "gewiesen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gewesen" or "gewiesen"?
Remembering gewesen vs gewiesen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gewesen”; for a verb, it's “gewiesen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gewesen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable