gültigvsgültigesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,432
“gültig” frequency rank
#39,983
“gültiges” frequency rank
46415
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gültig gültiges
Definition Geltung besitzend Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gültig

Where the eye mixes gültig and gültiges

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gültig runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against gültiges's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
gültig
8 ch
gültiges

Why the eye confuses gültig with gültiges

A purely visual mix-up. gültig ([ˈɡʏltɪç]) and gültiges ([ˈɡʏltɪɡəs]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “gültig” sits inside “gültiges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46415, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gültig is recorded at frequency rank #6,432, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʏltɪç]. gültiges is at rank #39,983, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʏltɪɡəs].

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 46415, this pair ranks #1,319,902 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gültig vs gültiges

Shared letters: giltü. Private to "gültig": -. Private to "gültiges": es.

"gültig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "gültiges" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gültig" and "gültiges" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡʏltɪç] versus [ˈɡʏltɪɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gültig" vs "gültiges" - which ranks higher?
"gültig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,432 in our German list, against #39,983 for "gültiges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gültig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gültiges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,319,902 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gültig" and "gültiges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gültiger vs gültiges". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,319,902 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