EinzahlungvsErzählungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,021
“Einzahlung” frequency rank
#6,180
“Erzählung” frequency rank
37201
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Einzahlung Erzählung
Definition Vorgang des Einzahlens von Geld auf ein Bankkonto Darstellung eines Ereignisses, Vorkommnisses

Where the eye mixes Einzahlung and Erzählung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Einzahlung runs 10 letters (VVCCVCCVCC) against Erzählung's 9 (VCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
Einzahlung
9 ch
Erzählung

Visual trap between Einzahlung and Erzählung

A purely visual mix-up. Einzahlung ([ˈaɪ̯nˌt͡saːlʊŋ]) and Erzählung ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37201, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Einzahlung is recorded at frequency rank #31,021, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌt͡saːlʊŋ]. Erzählung is at rank #6,180, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ].

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 37201, this pair ranks #1,596,300 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Einzahlung vs Erzählung

Shared letters: eghlnuz. Private to "Einzahlung": ai. Private to "Erzählung": rä.

"Einzahlung" · 10 letters · shape VVCCVCCVCC  ·  "Erzählung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Einzahlung ← einazhlung · einnzahlung · einzahhlung · einzahllung · einzahlnug · einzahlugn · einzahlungg · einzahlunng

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Einzahlung" for "Erzählung" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯nˌt͡saːlʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Einzahlung" vs "Erzählung" - which ranks higher?
"Erzählung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,180 in our German list, against #31,021 for "Einzahlung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Einzahlung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erzählung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,596,300 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Einzahlung" and "Erzählung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Einzahlung vs Einzahlungen". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,596,300 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list