Which to use
“gierig” and “giftig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,274
- “gierig” frequency rank
- #17,599
- “giftig” frequency rank
- 37873
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gierig | giftig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | triebartig danach verlangend, etwas zu bekommen oder zu besitzen | gesundheitsschädlich, schadstoffhaltig |
Where the eye mixes gierig and giftig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. gierig (CVVCVC) and giftig (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between gierig and giftig
A purely visual mix-up. gierig ([ˈɡiːʁɪç]) and giftig ([ˈɡɪftɪç]) 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 37873, 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]. giftig is at rank #17,599, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡɪftɪç].
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 37873, this pair ranks #1,578,843 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gierig vs giftig
Shared letters: gi. Private to "gierig": er. Private to "giftig": ft.
"gierig" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "giftig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gierig" for "giftig" ever safe?
Frequency check: "gierig" vs "giftig" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gierig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "giftig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,578,843 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gierig" and "giftig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gierig vs gierigen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,578,843 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.