Which to use
“Elsass” is a name and “Erlass” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,895
- “Elsass” frequency rank
- #11,862
- “Erlass” frequency rank
- 24757
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Elsass | Erlass |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Region im Nordosten Frankreichs | Anordnung, Anweisung mit amtlichem Charakter |
Where the eye mixes Elsass and Erlass
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Elsass with Erlass
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Elsass is [ˈɛlzas] while Erlass is [ɛɐ̯ˈlas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24757, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Elsass is recorded at frequency rank #12,895, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈɛlzas]. Erlass is at rank #11,862, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlas].
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 24757, this pair ranks #1,843,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Elsass vs Erlass
Shared letters: aels. Private to "Elsass": -. Private to "Erlass": r.
"Elsass" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "Erlass" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Elsass" for "Erlass" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Elsass" or "Erlass" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Elsass" and "Erlass" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Elsass" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erlass" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,843,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Elsass" and "Erlass" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erlass vs erlässt". 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 #1,843,189 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.