ErdevsErzWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,073
“Erde” frequency rank
#23,924
“Erz” frequency rank
24997
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erde Erz
Definition der feste Boden, die Landoberfläche von ^([3]) natürlich vorkommende metallhaltige Mineralien und Mineraliengemische, aus denen durch Verhüttung Metalle gewonnen werden

Where the eye mixes Erde and Erz

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Erde
3 ch
Erz

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Erde ([ˈeːɐ̯də]) 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 24997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erde is recorded at frequency rank #1,073, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯də]. 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 24997, this pair ranks #1,839,608 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erde vs Erz

Shared letters: er. Private to "Erde": d. Private to "Erz": z.

"Erde" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "Erz" · 3 letters · shape VCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erdeedre · erdde · ered · errde

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Erde" and "Erz" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈeːɐ̯də] versus [eːɐ̯t͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Erde" or "Erz"?
"Erde" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,073 in our German list, against #23,924 for "Erz". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list