grünvsgutWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,515
“grün” frequency rank
#89
“gut” frequency rank
1604
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature grün gut
Definition die Farbe Grün zeigend, die im Lichtspektrum zwischen Gelb und Blau liegt (Wellenlänge 520–565 nm). vom Menschen her positiv bewertet, empfunden, gefühlt und dergleichen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set grün and gut apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
grün
3 ch
gut

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. grün ([ɡʁyːn]) and gut ([ɡuːt]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1604, 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]. gut is at rank #89, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡuːt].

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 1604, this pair ranks #2,004,043 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of grün vs gut

Shared letters: g. Private to "grün": nrü. Private to "gut": tu.

"grün" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "gut" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

grün#1,515
gut#89

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "grün" and "gut" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡʁyːn] versus [ɡuːt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "grün" or "gut"?
"gut" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #89 in our German list, against #1,515 for "grün". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering grün vs gut

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 “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