erbauenvserbetenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,073
“erbauen” frequency rank
#28,632
“erbeten” frequency rank
62705
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erbauen erbeten
Definition für Bauwerke: Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erbitten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erbauen and erbeten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
erbauen
7 ch
erbeten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erbauen ([ɛɐ̯ˈbaʊ̯ən]) and erbeten ([ɛɐ̯ˈbeːtn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62705, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erbauen is recorded at frequency rank #34,073, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈbaʊ̯ən]. erbeten is at rank #28,632, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈbeːtn̩].

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 62705, this pair ranks #703,091 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erbauen vs erbeten

Shared letters: benr. Private to "erbauen": au. Private to "erbeten": t.

"erbauen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVVC  ·  "erbeten" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erbauenebrauen · erabuen · erbaeun · erbauenn · erbaune · erbbauen · erbuaen · errbauen
  • erbetenebreten · erbbeten · erbeetn · erbetenn · erbetne · erbetten · erbteen · erebten

Frequency comparison

erbauen#34,073
erbeten#28,632

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erbauen" and "erbeten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈbaʊ̯ən] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈbeːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erbauen" or "erbeten"?
"erbeten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,632 in our German list, against #34,073 for "erbauen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erbauen vs erbeten

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 “erbauen” 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