entlassenvserlassenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,435
“entlassen” frequency rank
#7,909
“erlassen” frequency rank
11344
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature entlassen erlassen
Definition jemandem erlauben zu gehen eine staatliche Anordnung treffen und verkünden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entlassen and erlassen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
entlassen
8 ch
erlassen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. entlassen ([ɛntˈlasn̩]) and erlassen ([ɛɐ̯ˈlasn̩]) 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 11344, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

entlassen is recorded at frequency rank #3,435, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈlasn̩]. erlassen is at rank #7,909, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlasn̩].

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 11344, this pair ranks #1,970,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of entlassen vs erlassen

Shared letters: aelns. Private to "entlassen": t. Private to "erlassen": r.

"entlassen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "erlassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • entlassenenltassen · enntlassen · entalssen · entlasen · entlasesn · entlassenn · entlassne · entlaßen
  • erlassenelrassen · eralssen · erlasen · erlasesn · erlassenn · erlassne · erlaßen · erllassen

Frequency comparison

entlassen#3,435
erlassen#7,909

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "entlassen" and "erlassen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈlasn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈlasn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "entlassen" or "erlassen"?
"entlassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,435 in our German list, against #7,909 for "erlassen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering entlassen vs erlassen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entlassen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list