Which to use
“empört” is an adjective and “erhört” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,889
- “empört” frequency rank
- #35,748
- “erhört” frequency rank
- 45637
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | empört | erhört |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sehr verärgert über etwas sein | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erhören |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set empört and erhört apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: empört is [ɛmˈpøːɐ̯t] while erhört is [ɛɐ̯ˈhøːɐ̯t]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
empört is recorded at frequency rank #9,889, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛmˈpøːɐ̯t]. erhört is at rank #35,748, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhøːɐ̯t].
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 45637, this pair ranks #1,346,244 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of empört vs erhört
Shared letters: ertö. Private to "empört": mp. Private to "erhört": h.
"empört" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "erhört" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "empört" and "erhört" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "empört" or "erhört"?
Remembering empört vs erhört
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “empört”; for a verb, it's “erhört”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “empört” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable