GPS

[ɡeːpeːˈʔɛs]

/[ɡeːpeːˈʔɛs]/ abbrev

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

The verdict

“GPS” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #9,037) as an abbreviation. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#9,037
frequency rank, German
5,117
“G” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Kurzwort für englisch Global Positioning System (= weltweites Standortbestimmungssystem)

Corpus desk

Index DE-gps · GPS · German

GPS · rank #9,037 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,037
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,117
  • PHOTO-FINISH Glocke

Nearest frequency peer: Glocke (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “GPS”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “GPS” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

GPS vs gs
0% similar
GPS vs GV
33% similar
GPS vs gz
0% similar

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

Key facts for GPS
PropertyValue
HeadwordGPS
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAbbreviation
IPA[ɡeːpeːˈʔɛs]
Letters3
Frequency rank#9,037
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “GPS” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.GPSliegt hier:

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

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). In derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite liegen „Glocke“ (#9,036), „gültigen“ (#9,038), „gleichwohl“ (#9,035). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for GPS is neighbouring look-alikes ("gs", "GV", …), not just typos; it is anabbreviation pronounced [ɡeːpeːˈʔɛs]. Frequency #9,037 among 5,117 “G” headwords. Gloss: "Kurzwort für englisch Global Positioning System (= weltweites Standortbestimmungssystem)".

Zero misspellings are on record for GPS in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "gs", "GV", "gz", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is GPS, spelled G-P-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Kurzwort für englisch Global Positioning System (= weltweites Standortbestimmungssystem)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how GPS appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „Auch das GPS liefert keine vernünftigen Daten.“
  2. „Kein Mobiltelefon, kein Notebook, kein GPS wäre je erfunden worden, wenn nicht Querdenker wie Einstein, Bohr oder Planck ihre Genialität darauf verwendet hätten, jahrhundertealte Vorstellungen über Raum und Zeit umzustürzen.“

This word in other languages

GPS(English)GPS(Français)

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 "GPS"?
"GPS" is spelled G-P-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ɡeːpeːˈʔɛs].
What does "GPS" mean?
As an abbreviation, "GPS" means: Kurzwort für englisch Global Positioning System (= weltweites Standortbestimmungssystem)
What words are commonly confused with "GPS"?
"GPS" is commonly confused with "gs", "GV", "gz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "GPS"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "GPS" is [ɡeːpeːˈʔɛs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "GPS" come from?
"GPS" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "GPS", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

CDs#8,997car#8,996arg#8,984aka#9,134

What to do next

You've looked up "GPS". Here's where to go from here.

  • "GPS" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "gs". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #9,037 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "G" letter cohort. G–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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