Which to use
“enge” is an adjective and “Erle” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,724
- “enge” frequency rank
- #48,856
- “Erle” frequency rank
- 52580
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | enge | Erle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs eng | an feuchten Stellen wachsender Laubbaum der Gattung Alnus mit eingeschlechtigen Blüten in Kätzchen und rundlichen, verholzenden Fruchtzapfen |
Where the eye mixes enge and Erle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses enge with Erle
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: enge is [ˈɛŋə] while Erle is [ˈɛʁlə]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52580, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
enge is recorded at frequency rank #3,724, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛŋə]. Erle is at rank #48,856, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁlə].
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 52580, this pair ranks #1,091,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of enge vs Erle
Shared letters: e. Private to "enge": gn. Private to "Erle": lr.
"enge" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "Erle" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "enge" and "Erle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "enge" or "Erle"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "enge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,091,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "enge" and "Erle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbse vs Erle". 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 #1,091,271 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.