gleichzeitigvsgleichzeitigeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#699
“gleichzeitig” frequency rank
#24,367
“gleichzeitige” frequency rank
25066
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gleichzeitig gleichzeitige
Definition zur selben/gleichen Zeit ablaufend, stattfindend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gleichzeitig

Where the eye mixes gleichzeitig and gleichzeitige

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. gleichzeitig runs 12 letters (CCVVCCCVVCVC) against gleichzeitige's 13 (CCVVCCCVVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
gleichzeitig
13 ch
gleichzeitige

Look-alike desk: gleichzeitig vs gleichzeitige

A purely visual mix-up. gleichzeitig ([ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌt͡saɪ̯tɪç]) and gleichzeitige ([ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌt͡saɪ̯tɪɡə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “gleichzeitig” sits inside “gleichzeitige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25066, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gleichzeitig is recorded at frequency rank #699, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌt͡saɪ̯tɪç]. gleichzeitige is at rank #24,367, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌt͡saɪ̯tɪɡə].

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 25066, this pair ranks #1,838,643 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gleichzeitig vs gleichzeitige

Shared letters: ceghiltz. Private to "gleichzeitig": -. Private to "gleichzeitige": -.

"gleichzeitig" · 12 letters · shape CCVVCCCVVCVC  ·  "gleichzeitige" · 13 letters · shape CCVVCCCVVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gleichzeitig ← gelichzeitig · ggleichzeitig · glecihzeitig · gleicchzeitig · gleichezitig · gleichhzeitig · gleichzeiitg · gleichzeitgi
  • gleichzeitige ← gelichzeitige · ggleichzeitige · glecihzeitige · gleicchzeitige · gleichezitige · gleichhzeitige · gleichzeiitge · gleichzeitgie

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "gleichzeitig" and "gleichzeitige" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌt͡saɪ̯tɪç] versus [ˈɡlaɪ̯çˌt͡saɪ̯tɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gleichzeitig" vs "gleichzeitige" - which ranks higher?
"gleichzeitig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #699 in our German list, against #24,367 for "gleichzeitige". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "gleichzeitig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gleichzeitige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,838,643 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gleichzeitig" and "gleichzeitige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gleichzeitige vs gleichzeitigem". 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 #1,838,643 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list