Which to use
“Erbse” and “Erde” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,614
- “Erbse” frequency rank
- #1,073
- “Erde” frequency rank
- 47687
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erbse | Erde |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Same einer Hülsenfrucht | der feste Boden, die Landoberfläche von ^([3]) |
Where the eye mixes Erbse and Erde
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Erbse runs 5 letters (VCCCV) against Erde's 4 (VCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Erbse vs Erde
A purely visual mix-up. Erbse ([ˈɛʁpsə]) and Erde ([ˈeːɐ̯də]) 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 47687, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erbse is recorded at frequency rank #46,614, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁpsə]. Erde is at rank #1,073, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯də].
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 47687, this pair ranks #1,275,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Erbse vs Erde
Shared letters: er. Private to "Erbse": bs. Private to "Erde": d.
"Erbse" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "Erde" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Erbse" for "Erde" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Erbse" vs "Erde" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Erbse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erde" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,275,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erbse" and "Erde" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbse 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 #1,275,577 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.