gültigevsgütigWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,666
“gültige” frequency rank
#36,974
“gütig” frequency rank
48640
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gültige gütig
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs gültig jemandem freundlich gesinnt

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
gültige
5 ch
gütig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gültige ([ˈɡʏltɪɡə]) and gütig ([ˈɡyːtɪç]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gültige is recorded at frequency rank #11,666, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʏltɪɡə]. gütig is at rank #36,974, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡyːtɪç].

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 48640, this pair ranks #1,241,092 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gültige vs gütig

Shared letters: gitü. Private to "gültige": el. Private to "gütig": -.

"gültige" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "gütig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

gültige#11,666
gütig#36,974

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gültige" and "gütig" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡʏltɪɡə] versus [ˈɡyːtɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gültige" or "gütig"?
"gültige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,666 in our German list, against #36,974 for "gütig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gültige vs gütig

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 “gültige” 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