Which to use
“erbaut” and “erkauft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,184
- “erbaut” frequency rank
- #35,749
- “erkauft” frequency rank
- 44933
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erbaut | erkauft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erbauen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erkaufen |
Where the eye mixes erbaut and erkauft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erbaut runs 6 letters (VCCVVC) against erkauft's 7 (VCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between erbaut and erkauft
A purely visual mix-up. erbaut ([ɛɐ̯ˈbaʊ̯t]) and erkauft ([ɛɐ̯ˈkaʊ̯ft]) 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 44933, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erbaut is recorded at frequency rank #9,184, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈbaʊ̯t]. erkauft is at rank #35,749, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkaʊ̯ft].
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 44933, this pair ranks #1,369,917 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erbaut vs erkauft
Shared letters: aertu. Private to "erbaut": b. Private to "erkauft": fk.
"erbaut" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC · "erkauft" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erbaut" and "erkauft" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erbaut" or "erkauft"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erbaut" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erkauft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,369,917 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erbaut" and "erkauft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "einkauft vs erkauft". 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 #1,369,917 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.