weitergebenvsweiterlesenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,636
“weitergeben” frequency rank
#25,397
“weiterlesen” frequency rank
38033
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature weitergeben weiterlesen
Definition etwas dem Nächsten in einer Reihe überlassen (nach einer Unterbrechung) mit dem Lesen (von etwas Bestimmtem) fortfahren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set weitergeben and weiterlesen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
weitergeben
11 ch
weiterlesen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. weitergeben ([ˈvaɪ̯tɐˌɡeːbn̩]) and weiterlesen ([ˈvaɪ̯tɐˌleːzn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38033, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

weitergeben is recorded at frequency rank #12,636, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯tɐˌɡeːbn̩]. weiterlesen is at rank #25,397, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈvaɪ̯tɐˌleːzn̩].

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 38033, this pair ranks #1,574,588 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of weitergeben vs weiterlesen

Shared letters: einrtw. Private to "weitergeben": bg. Private to "weiterlesen": ls.

"weitergeben" · 11 letters · shape CVVCVCCVCVC  ·  "weiterlesen" · 11 letters · shape CVVCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • weitergebenewitergeben · weietrgeben · weitegreben · weiteregben · weitergbeen · weitergebben · weitergebenn · weitergebne
  • weiterlesenewiterlesen · weietrlesen · weitelresen · weiterelsen · weiterleesn · weiterlesenn · weiterlesne · weiterlessen

Frequency comparison

weitergeben#12,636
weiterlesen#25,397

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "weitergeben" and "weiterlesen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈvaɪ̯tɐˌɡeːbn̩] versus [ˈvaɪ̯tɐˌleːzn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "weitergeben" or "weiterlesen"?
"weitergeben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,636 in our German list, against #25,397 for "weiterlesen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering weitergeben vs weiterlesen

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 “weitergeben” 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