gewiesenvsgewinnenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,392
“gewiesen” frequency rank
#857
“gewinnen” frequency rank
40249
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gewiesen gewinnen
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs weisen einen Wettkampf, einen Wettstreit, ein Streitgespräch oder Ähnliches zu seinem Vorteil und Nutzen entscheiden

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
gewiesen
8 ch
gewinnen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gewiesen ([ɡəˈviːzn̩]) and gewinnen ([ɡəˈvɪnən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gewiesen is recorded at frequency rank #39,392, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈviːzn̩]. gewinnen is at rank #857, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈvɪnən].

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 40249, this pair ranks #1,513,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gewiesen vs gewinnen

Shared letters: eginw. Private to "gewiesen": s. Private to "gewinnen": -.

"gewiesen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "gewinnen" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gewiesenegwiesen · geiwesen · geweisen · gewieesn · gewiesenn · gewiesne · gewiessen · gewiseen
  • gewinnenegwinnen · geiwnnen · gewinen · gewinenn · gewinnenn · gewinnne · gewninen · gewwinnen

Frequency comparison

gewiesen#39,392
gewinnen#857

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gewiesen" and "gewinnen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈviːzn̩] versus [ɡəˈvɪnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gewiesen" or "gewinnen"?
"gewinnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #857 in our German list, against #39,392 for "gewiesen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gewiesen vs gewinnen

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 “gewiesen” 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