All German word comparisons · Back to the topic overview
Meaning, sentence patterns and examples
| Word | Core meaning | Typical context | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Möglichkeit | possibility; option | Available choices and feasible actions | Die Möglichkeit; plural die Möglichkeiten. Often Möglichkeit, etwas zu tun, Möglichkeit zu + dative, or Möglichkeit, dass … . Feasibility as an abstract concept is often singular. |
| Gelegenheit | opportunity; occasion | A suitable moment or circumstances | Die Gelegenheit; plural die Gelegenheiten. Useful patterns: Gelegenheit, etwas zu tun; Gelegenheit zu + dative; bei Gelegenheit. |
| Chance | chance; prospect of success | An opening or likelihood of achieving something | Die Chance; plural die Chancen. Common patterns include eine Chance auf + accusative and eine Chance, etwas zu tun. |
Möglichkeit
Meaning and usage: Möglichkeit can name an option among several, or simply the fact that something is possible. It does not need to be favourable: the possibility of an error is still a Möglichkeit. It can also mean opportunity, so using it for a beneficial opening is not wrong. In the plural, finanzielle Möglichkeiten refers to financial means.
Grammar: Die Möglichkeit; plural die Möglichkeiten. Often Möglichkeit, etwas zu tun, Möglichkeit zu + dative, or Möglichkeit, dass … . Feasibility as an abstract concept is often singular.
Wir haben zwei Möglichkeiten: den Bus nehmen oder zu Fuß gehen.
We have two options: take the bus or walk.
Es besteht die Möglichkeit, dass der Zug später ankommt.
There is a possibility that the train will arrive later.
Gelegenheit
Meaning and usage: Gelegenheit often focuses on a situation that allows you to do something. It may be a chance encounter, an available moment or an occasion such as a celebration. Bei Gelegenheit means when an opportunity arises or at some point, rather than at a precisely booked appointment.
Grammar: Die Gelegenheit; plural die Gelegenheiten. Useful patterns: Gelegenheit, etwas zu tun; Gelegenheit zu + dative; bei Gelegenheit.
Nach dem Vortrag hatte ich Gelegenheit, eine Frage zu stellen.
After the talk, I had an opportunity to ask a question.
Ich bringe dir das Buch bei Gelegenheit vorbei.
I will bring the book round when I get a chance.
Chance
Meaning and usage: Chance often connects an opening to a desired result. It can describe your chances of winning or being selected, not only the opportunity to try. Gute Chancen does not promise success. The word’s opportunity sense overlaps with Gelegenheit and Möglichkeit.
Grammar: Die Chance; plural die Chancen. Common patterns include eine Chance auf + accusative and eine Chance, etwas zu tun.
Mit mehr Übung hast du gute Chancen auf einen Platz im Team.
With more practice, you have good chances of a place on the team.
Sie nutzt die Chance, mit der Autorin zu sprechen.
She takes the opportunity to speak with the author.
Overlap and context
If you want to stress available alternatives, Möglichkeiten is a natural choice. If the right moment is the point, Gelegenheit helps. If success or a valuable opening matters, Chance fits. These are preferences, not barriers: dictionary meanings explicitly overlap. In particular, Chance does not mean certainty and Möglichkeit does not mean purely theoretical.
Common mistakes
- Do not assume opportunity must always be Gelegenheit: Möglichkeit and Chance may both fit.
- Do not confuse eine Chance haben with guaranteed success.
Memory aid: Option, occasion, outcome: ask what you want to emphasize. The three prompts guide your choice without pretending the meanings never overlap.
Try it
Which is best for several alternative ways to solve a problem: verschiedene ___?
Show the answer
Möglichkeiten
The focus is a set of possible methods or options, rather than one suitable moment.