erbenvsErbseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erben is a verb, Erbse is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erben” is a verb and “Erbse” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,178
“erben” frequency rank
#46,614
“Erbse” frequency rank
52792
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erben Erbse
Definition nach dem Tod eines anderen dessen Vermögen zu Eigentum erhalten Same einer Hülsenfrucht

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erben and Erbse apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
erben
5 ch
Erbse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erben is [ˈɛʁbn̩] while Erbse is [ˈɛʁpsə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erben is recorded at frequency rank #6,178, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɛʁbn̩]. Erbse is at rank #46,614, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁpsə].

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 52792, this pair ranks #1,083,064 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erben vs Erbse

Shared letters: ber. Private to "erben": n. Private to "Erbse": s.

"erben" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Erbse" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erbenebren · erbben · erbenn · erbne · erebn · errben
  • Erbseebrse · erbbse · erbsse · errbse · ersbe · rebse

Frequency comparison

erben#6,178
Erbse#46,614

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erben" and "Erbse" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erben" is a verb and "Erbse" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erben" or "Erbse"?
"erben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,178 in our German list, against #46,614 for "Erbse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erben vs Erbse

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erben”; for a noun, it's “Erbse”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erben” 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