Which to use
“erfahren” and “erfährst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,074
- “erfahren” frequency rank
- #19,892
- “erfährst” frequency rank
- 20966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfahren | erfährst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | durch eigenes Erleben kennen lernen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfahren |
Where the eye mixes erfahren and erfährst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erfahren (VCCVCCVC) and erfährst (VCCVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between erfahren and erfährst
A purely visual mix-up. erfahren ([ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁən]) and erfährst ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯st]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfahren is recorded at frequency rank #1,074, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁən]. erfährst is at rank #19,892, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯st].
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 20966, this pair ranks #1,891,725 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfahren vs erfährst
Shared letters: efhr. Private to "erfahren": an. Private to "erfährst": stä.
"erfahren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erfährst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erfahren ← efrahren · erafhren · erfahern · erfahhren · erfahrenn · erfahrne · erfahrren · erfarhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfahren" and "erfährst" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "erfahren" or "erfährst" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erfahren" and "erfährst" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfahren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erfährst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,891,725 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfahren" and "erfährst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfährst vs erwähnst". 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 #1,891,725 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.