获得 / 取得 / 赢得【huòdé / qǔdé / yíngdé】

获得, 取得 and 赢得 all mean "get", and all three are written. Which one fits depends on the object: 获得 takes something handed to you, 取得 takes a result you worked for, and 赢得 takes other people's response to you.

获得 – what you are given

The object of 获得 comes from outside: a prize, a scholarship, a chance, support, permission. It also takes knowledge and experience that you gain over time.

取得 – results of your own effort

取得 goes with the words for a result: 成绩, 进步, 成功, 胜利, 成果. Two fixed phrases use it with a different sense – 取得联系 "get in touch" and 取得同意 "obtain consent".

赢得 – what others give back

赢得 has 赢 "win" inside it. Its objects are people's reactions – 尊重, 信任, 支持, 掌声 – or a contest itself: 赢得比赛. The subject usually did something to deserve it.

Mixing up the objects

获得 and 取得 overlap with 成功 and 胜利, and either is fine there. Elsewhere the objects don't swap.

• × 赢得进步 → 取得进步
• × 取得大家的尊重 → 赢得大家的尊重
• × 取得一等奖 → 获得一等奖

In speech, all three usually become 得到 or just 得.