ErbfolgevsErfolgsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Erbfolge” and “Erfolgs” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#42,460
“Erbfolge” frequency rank
#16,980
“Erfolgs” frequency rank
59440
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erbfolge Erfolgs
Definition sich durch Abstammung oder auch Testament ergebende Abfolge unter den Erben eines Nachlasses Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Erfolg

Where the eye mixes Erbfolge and Erfolgs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Erbfolge runs 8 letters (VCCCVCCV) against Erfolgs's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Erbfolge
7 ch
Erfolgs

Why the eye confuses Erbfolge with Erfolgs

A purely visual mix-up. Erbfolge ([ˈɛʁpˌfɔlɡə]) and Erfolgs ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks]) 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 59440, 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]. Erfolgs is at rank #16,980, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks].

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 59440, this pair ranks #824,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Erbfolge vs Erfolgs

Shared letters: efglor. Private to "Erbfolge": b. Private to "Erfolgs": s.

"Erbfolge" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV  ·  "Erfolgs" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erbfolge ← ebrfolge · erbbfolge · erbffolge · erbfloge · erbfogle · erbfoleg · erbfolgge · erbfollge
  • Erfolgs ← efrolgs · erffolgs · erflogs · erfogls · erfolggs · erfolgss · erfollgs · erfolsg

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Erbfolge" for "Erfolgs" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛʁpˌfɔlɡə] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Erbfolge" vs "Erfolgs" - which ranks higher?
"Erfolgs" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,980 in our German list, against #42,460 for "Erbfolge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Erbfolge" and "Erfolgs" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Erbfolge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erfolgs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #824,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Erbfolge" and "Erfolgs" 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 #824,423 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list