gelegentlich

[ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç]

/[ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“gelegentlich” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,528 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,528
frequency rank, German
12
letters
19
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - wenn sich eine günstige, passende Gelegenheit bietet, wenn es die Umstände erlauben, bei Gelegenheit

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

gelegentlich vs gelegentliche
92% similar
gelegentlich vs gelegentlichen
86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for gelegentlich
PropertyValue
Headwordgelegentlich
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç]
Letters12
Frequency rank#3,528
Misspellings tracked19
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gelegentlich” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). gelegentlich lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for gelegentlich is 12 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,528 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for gelegentlich, with forms such as "eglegentlich", "geelgentlich", and "geleegntlich". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "gelegentliche", "gelegentlichen", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is gelegentlich, spelled G-E-L-E-G-E-N-T-L-I-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    wenn sich eine günstige, passende Gelegenheit bietet, wenn es die Umstände erlauben, bei Gelegenheit
  2. 2
    mehr oder weniger oft, unterschiedlich häufig

Synonyms

demnächstmalab und anab und zubisweilendann und wannhin und wiedermanchmalmituntersporadischvon Zeit zu Zeitzuweilen

Antonyms

häufigregelmäßignieniemalsständig

This word in other languages

soon(English)ocasional(Español)occasionnel(Français)eventual(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eglegentlich,geelgentlich,geleegntlich,gelegenltich,gelegenntlich,gelegentilch,gelegentlcih,gelegentlicch,gelegentlichh,gelegentlihc,gelegentllich,gelegenttlich,gelegetnlich,geleggentlich,gelegnetlich,gelgeentlich,gellegentlich,ggelegentlich,gleegentlich

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gelegentlich - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eglegentlich2geelgentlich2geleegntlich2gelegenltich2gelegenntlich1gelegentilch2gelegentlcih2gelegentlicch1
Edit distance from "gelegentlich"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gelegentlich"?
"gelegentlich" is spelled G-E-L-E-G-E-N-T-L-I-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç].
What does "gelegentlich" mean?
As an adjective, "gelegentlich" means: wenn sich eine günstige, passende Gelegenheit bietet, wenn es die Umstände erlauben, bei Gelegenheit
What words are commonly confused with "gelegentlich"?
"gelegentlich" is commonly confused with "gelegentliche", "gelegentlichen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gelegentlich"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gelegentlich" is [ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gelegentlich" come from?
"gelegentlich" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “gelegentlich”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is G-E-L-E-G-E-N-T-L-I-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ɡəˈleːɡn̩tlɪç] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “gelegentliche” - see the side-by-side comparison. gelegentlich vs gelegentliche
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list