gutevsgütigWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#226
“gute” frequency rank
#36,974
“gütig” frequency rank
37200
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gute gütig
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs gut jemandem freundlich gesinnt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gute and gütig apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
gute
5 ch
gütig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gute ([ˈɡuːtə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gute is recorded at frequency rank #226, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡuːtə]. 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 37200, this pair ranks #1,596,317 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gute vs gütig

Shared letters: gt. Private to "gute": eu. Private to "gütig": .

"gute" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "gütig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • guteggute · gtue · guet · gutte · ugte

Frequency comparison

gute#226
gütig#36,974

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gute" and "gütig" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡuːtə] versus [ˈɡyːtɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gute" or "gütig"?
"gute" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #226 in our German list, against #36,974 for "gütig". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gute 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 “gute” 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