Which to use
“Erbfolge” is a noun and “erfolgen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,460
- “Erbfolge” frequency rank
- #2,589
- “erfolgen” frequency rank
- 45049
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erbfolge | erfolgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich durch Abstammung oder auch Testament ergebende Abfolge unter den Erben eines Nachlasses | stattfinden, sich ereignen, getan werden (der Inhalt des Tuns steckt im Subjekt des Satzes) |
Where the eye mixes Erbfolge and erfolgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Erbfolge (VCCCVCCV) and erfolgen (VCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Erbfolge vs erfolgen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Erbfolge is [ˈɛʁpˌfɔlɡə] while erfolgen is [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 6 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45049, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erbfolge is recorded at frequency rank #42,460, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁpˌfɔlɡə]. erfolgen is at rank #2,589, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩].
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 45049, this pair ranks #1,366,182 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Erbfolge vs erfolgen
Shared letters: efglor. Private to "Erbfolge": b. Private to "erfolgen": n.
"Erbfolge" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV · "erfolgen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Erbfolge" and "erfolgen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Erbfolge" or "erfolgen" 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 "Erbfolge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erfolgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,366,182 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erbfolge" and "erfolgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbfolge vs Erfolges". 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 #1,366,182 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.