Which to use
“Erbe” and “Erz” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,874
- “Erbe” frequency rank
- #23,924
- “Erz” frequency rank
- 28798
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erbe | Erz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Besitz eines Verstorbenen, der an eine lebende Person übertragen werden kann | natürlich vorkommende metallhaltige Mineralien und Mineraliengemische, aus denen durch Verhüttung Metalle gewonnen werden |
Where the eye mixes Erbe and Erz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Erbe and Erz
A purely visual mix-up. Erbe ([ˈɛʁbə]) and Erz ([eːɐ̯t͡s]) 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 28798, 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]. Erz is at rank #23,924, tagged as anoun, pronounced [eːɐ̯t͡s].
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 28798, this pair ranks #1,778,385 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Erbe vs Erz
Shared letters: er. Private to "Erbe": b. Private to "Erz": z.
"Erbe" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "Erz" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Erbe ← ebre · erbbe · ereb · errbe · rebe
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Erbe" and "Erz" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Erbe" or "Erz" show up more?
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 "Erbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,778,385 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erbe" and "Erz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erz vs Esra". 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 #1,778,385 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.