eiltenvserntenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,547
“eilten” frequency rank
#12,066
“ernten” frequency rank
56613
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eilten ernten
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs eilen Nutzpflanzen von den Feldern einholen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set eilten and ernten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
eilten
6 ch
ernten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. eilten ([ˈaɪ̯ltn̩]) and ernten ([ˈɛʁntn̩]) 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 56613, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eilten is recorded at frequency rank #44,547, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯ltn̩]. ernten is at rank #12,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɛʁntn̩].

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 56613, this pair ranks #933,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of eilten vs ernten

Shared letters: ent. Private to "eilten": il. Private to "ernten": r.

"eilten" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC  ·  "ernten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • eilteneiletn · eillten · eiltenn · eiltne · eiltten · eitlen · ielten
  • erntenenrten · ernetn · ernnten · erntenn · erntne · erntten · errnten · ertnen

Frequency comparison

eilten#44,547
ernten#12,066

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eilten" and "ernten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯ltn̩] versus [ˈɛʁntn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "eilten" or "ernten"?
"ernten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,066 in our German list, against #44,547 for "eilten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eilten vs ernten

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 “eilten” 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