gleichevsglichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,059
“gleiche” frequency rank
#36,369
“glichen” frequency rank
37428
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gleiche glichen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs gleichen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs gleichen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
gleiche
7 ch
glichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gleiche ([ˈɡlaɪ̯çə]) and glichen ([ˈɡlɪçn̩]) 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 5 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37428, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gleiche is recorded at frequency rank #1,059, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡlaɪ̯çə]. glichen is at rank #36,369, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡlɪçn̩].

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 37428, this pair ranks #1,590,507 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gleiche vs glichen

Shared letters: ceghil. Private to "gleiche": -. Private to "glichen": n.

"gleiche" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCV  ·  "glichen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gleichegeliche · ggleiche · glecihe · gleicche · gleiceh · gleichhe · gleihce · glieche
  • glichengglichen · gilchen · glcihen · glicchen · glicehn · glichenn · glichhen · glichne

Frequency comparison

gleiche#1,059
glichen#36,369

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gleiche" and "glichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡlaɪ̯çə] versus [ˈɡlɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gleiche" or "glichen"?
"gleiche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,059 in our German list, against #36,369 for "glichen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gleiche vs glichen

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 “gleiche” 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