gierigvsgierigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,274
“gierig” frequency rank
#46,694
“gierigen” frequency rank
66968
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gierig gierigen
Definition triebartig danach verlangend, etwas zu bekommen oder zu besitzen Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gierig

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
gierig
8 ch
gierigen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gierig ([ˈɡiːʁɪç]) and gierigen ([ˈɡiːʁɪɡn̩]) 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) - “gierig” sits inside “gierigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gierig is recorded at frequency rank #20,274, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡiːʁɪç]. gierigen is at rank #46,694, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡiːʁɪɡn̩].

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 66968, this pair ranks #555,670 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gierig vs gierigen

Shared letters: egir. Private to "gierig": -. Private to "gierigen": n.

"gierig" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "gierigen" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gieriggeirig · ggierig · gieirg · giergi · gierigg · gierrig · gireig · igerig
  • gierigengeirigen · ggierigen · gieirgen · giergien · gieriegn · gierigenn · gieriggen · gierigne

Frequency comparison

gierig#20,274
gierigen#46,694

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gierig" and "gierigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡiːʁɪç] versus [ˈɡiːʁɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gierig" or "gierigen"?
"gierig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,274 in our German list, against #46,694 for "gierigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gierig vs gierigen

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 “gierig” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list