guckenvsGurkeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#2,722
“gucken” frequency rank
#20,945
“Gurke” frequency rank
23667
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gucken Gurke
Definition seine Augen auf etwas richten eine Pflanzengattung in der Familie der Kürbisgewächse

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gucken and Gurke apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gucken
5 ch
Gurke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gucken is [ˈɡʊkn̩] while Gurke is [ˈɡʊʁkə]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23667, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gucken is recorded at frequency rank #2,722, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɡʊkn̩]. Gurke is at rank #20,945, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡʊʁkə].

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 23667, this pair ranks #1,858,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gucken vs Gurke

Shared letters: egku. Private to "gucken": cn. Private to "Gurke": r.

"gucken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Gurke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • guckengcuken · ggucken · guccken · gucekn · guckenn · guckken · guckne · gukcen
  • Gurkeggurke · gruke · gukre · gurek · gurkke · gurrke · ugrke

Frequency comparison

gucken#2,722
Gurke#20,945

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gucken" and "Gurke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gucken" is a verb and "Gurke" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gucken" or "Gurke"?
"gucken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,722 in our German list, against #20,945 for "Gurke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gucken vs Gurke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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