Which to use
“Erbe” is a noun and “erbt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,874
- “Erbe” frequency rank
- #39,912
- “erbt” frequency rank
- 44786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erbe | erbt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Besitz eines Verstorbenen, der an eine lebende Person übertragen werden kann | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erben |
Where the eye mixes Erbe and erbt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Erbe with erbt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Erbe is [ˈɛʁbə] while erbt is [ɛʁpt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “Erbe” becomes t in “erbt”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erbe is recorded at frequency rank #4,874, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁbə]. erbt is at rank #39,912, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛʁpt].
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 44786, this pair ranks #1,374,739 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Erbe vs erbt
Shared letters: ber. Private to "Erbe": -. Private to "erbt": t.
"Erbe" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "erbt" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Erbe" and "erbt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Erbe" or "erbt"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Erbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erbt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,374,739 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erbe" and "erbt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erbt vs Erle". 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 #1,374,739 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.