Which to use
“erfahre” and “ernähren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,792
- “erfahre” frequency rank
- #7,910
- “ernähren” frequency rank
- 22702
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfahre | ernähren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfahren | regelmäßig für Nahrung sorgen |
Where the eye mixes erfahre and ernähren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erfahre runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against ernähren's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erfahre vs ernähren
A purely visual mix-up. erfahre ([ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁə]) and ernähren ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁən]) 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 22702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfahre is recorded at frequency rank #14,792, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁə]. ernähren is at rank #7,910, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁən].
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 22702, this pair ranks #1,870,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfahre vs ernähren
Shared letters: ehr. Private to "erfahre": af. Private to "ernähren": nä.
"erfahre" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "ernähren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erfahre ← efrahre · erafhre · erfaher · erfahhre · erfahrre · erfarhe · erffahre · erfhare
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erfahre" for "ernähren" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erfahre" vs "ernähren" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfahre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ernähren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,870,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfahre" and "ernähren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfahre vs ernähre". 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 #1,870,837 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.