gönnenvsGönnerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gönnen is a verb, Gönner is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gönnen” is a verb and “Gönner” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,216
“gönnen” frequency rank
#26,042
“Gönner” frequency rank
34258
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gönnen Gönner
Definition etwas Gutes angedeihen lassen, eine Gunst gewähren wohlhabende, einflussreiche Person, die jemand anderen (Künstler oder Einrichtung) in seinen Bestrebungen mit Geld unterstützt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gönnen and Gönner apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gönnen
6 ch
Gönner

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gönnen is [ˈɡœnən] while Gönner is [ˈɡœnɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “gönnen” becomes r in “Gönner”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gönnen is recorded at frequency rank #8,216, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡœnən]. Gönner is at rank #26,042, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡœnɐ].

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 34258, this pair ranks #1,667,439 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gönnen vs Gönner

Shared letters: egnö. Private to "gönnen": -. Private to "Gönner": r.

"gönnen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Gönner" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Frequency comparison

gönnen#8,216
Gönner#26,042

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gönnen" and "Gönner" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gönnen" is a verb and "Gönner" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gönnen" or "Gönner"?
"gönnen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,216 in our German list, against #26,042 for "Gönner". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gönnen vs Gönner

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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