EntlassungvsEntlastungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,905
“Entlassung” frequency rank
#11,042
“Entlastung” frequency rank
18947
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Entlassung Entlastung
Definition Erlaubnis oder Zwang, einen Ort oder eine Institution (Arbeitsstelle, Gefängnis, Krankenhaus …) zu verlassen Befreiung/Freiheit von einem anstrengenden, bedrückenden oder unerwünschten Zustand

Where the eye mixes Entlassung and Entlastung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Entlassung and Entlastung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

10 ch
Entlassung
10 ch
Entlastung

Why the eye confuses Entlassung with Entlastung

A purely visual mix-up. Entlassung ([ɛntˈlasʊŋ]) and Entlastung ([ɛntˈlastʊŋ]) 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 a single letter - s in “Entlassung” becomes t in “Entlastung”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Entlassung is recorded at frequency rank #7,905, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈlasʊŋ]. Entlastung is at rank #11,042, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛntˈlastʊŋ].

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 18947, this pair ranks #1,913,272 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Entlassung vs Entlastung

Shared letters: aeglnstu. Private to "Entlassung": -. Private to "Entlastung": -.

"Entlassung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Entlastung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Entlassung ← enltassung · enntlassung · entalssung · entlassnug · entlassugn · entlassungg · entlassunng · entlasung
  • Entlastung ← enltastung · enntlastung · entalstung · entlasstung · entlastnug · entlasttung · entlastugn · entlastungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Entlassung" for "Entlastung" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛntˈlasʊŋ] versus [ɛntˈlastʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Entlassung" vs "Entlastung" - which ranks higher?
"Entlassung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,905 in our German list, against #11,042 for "Entlastung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Entlassung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Entlastung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,913,272 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Entlassung" and "Entlastung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Entladung vs Entlastung". 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 #1,913,272 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list