Which to use
“giftig” and “gütig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,599
- “giftig” frequency rank
- #36,974
- “gütig” frequency rank
- 54573
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | giftig | gütig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gesundheitsschädlich, schadstoffhaltig | jemandem freundlich gesinnt |
Where the eye mixes giftig and gütig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. giftig runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against gütig's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between giftig and gütig
A purely visual mix-up. giftig ([ˈɡɪftɪç]) and gütig ([ˈɡyːtɪç]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54573, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
giftig is recorded at frequency rank #17,599, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡɪftɪç]. gütig is at rank #36,974, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡyːtɪç].
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 54573, this pair ranks #1,013,576 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of giftig vs gütig
Shared letters: git. Private to "giftig": f. Private to "gütig": ü.
"giftig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "gütig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- giftig ← gfitig · ggiftig · gifftig · gifitg · giftgi · giftigg · gifttig · gitfig
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "giftig" and "gütig" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "giftig" vs "gütig" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "giftig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gütig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,013,576 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "giftig" and "gütig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gotik vs gütig". 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 #1,013,576 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.