grünvsGrundWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: grün is a adjective, Grund is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“grün” is an adjective and “Grund” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,515
“grün” frequency rank
#378
“Grund” frequency rank
1893
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature grün Grund
Definition die Farbe Grün zeigend, die im Lichtspektrum zwischen Gelb und Blau liegt (Wellenlänge 520–565 nm). Ereignis, welches ein Darauffolgendes hervorgerufen hat

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set grün and Grund apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
grün
5 ch
Grund

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: grün is [ɡʁyːn] while Grund is [ɡʁʊnt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1893, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

grün is recorded at frequency rank #1,515, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡʁyːn]. Grund is at rank #378, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡʁʊnt].

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 1893, this pair ranks #2,003,519 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of grün vs Grund

Shared letters: gnr. Private to "grün": ü. Private to "Grund": du.

"grün" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "Grund" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Grundggrund · grnud · grrund · grudn · grundd · grunnd · gurnd · rgund

Frequency comparison

grün#1,515
Grund#378

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "grün" and "Grund" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "grün" is an adjective and "Grund" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "grün" or "Grund"?
"Grund" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #378 in our German list, against #1,515 for "grün". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering grün vs Grund

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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