Which to use
“entlang” is an adverb and “erklang” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,918
- “entlang” frequency rank
- #36,915
- “erklang” frequency rank
- 38833
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entlang | erklang |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | neben, am Rand, der Länge folgend | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erklingen |
Where the eye mixes entlang and erklang
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between entlang and erklang
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: entlang is [ɛntˈlaŋ] while erklang is [ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ]. 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 (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38833, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entlang is recorded at frequency rank #1,918, classified as anadv, pronounced [ɛntˈlaŋ]. erklang is at rank #36,915, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ].
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 38833, this pair ranks #1,553,419 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of entlang vs erklang
Shared letters: aegln. Private to "entlang": t. Private to "erklang": kr.
"entlang" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "erklang" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entlang" and "erklang" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "entlang" vs "erklang" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "entlang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erklang" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,553,419 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entlang" and "erklang" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erklang vs erklingt". 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 #1,553,419 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.