gleichemvsgleichenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gleichem is a adjective, gleichen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gleichem” is an adjective and “gleichen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,385
“gleichem” frequency rank
#763
“gleichen” frequency rank
14148
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gleichem gleichen
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gleich wenige oder keine Unterschiede zu einer anderen Sache aufweisen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gleichem and gleichen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
gleichem
8 ch
gleichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gleichem is [ˈɡlaɪ̯çm̩] while gleichen is [ˈɡlaɪ̯çn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - m in “gleichem” becomes n in “gleichen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14148, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gleichem is recorded at frequency rank #13,385, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlaɪ̯çm̩]. gleichen is at rank #763, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡlaɪ̯çn̩].

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 14148, this pair ranks #1,953,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gleichem vs gleichen

Shared letters: ceghil. Private to "gleichem": m. Private to "gleichen": n.

"gleichem" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCCVC  ·  "gleichen" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gleichemgelichem · ggleichem · glecihem · gleicchem · gleicehm · gleichemm · gleichhem · gleichme
  • gleichengelichen · ggleichen · glecihen · gleicchen · gleicehn · gleichenn · gleichhen · gleichne

Frequency comparison

gleichem#13,385
gleichen#763

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gleichem" and "gleichen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gleichem" is an adjective and "gleichen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gleichem" or "gleichen"?
"gleichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #763 in our German list, against #13,385 for "gleichem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gleichem vs gleichen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gleichem”; for a verb, it's “gleichen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gleichem” 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