Which to use
“erfahren” and “ernähre” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,074
- “erfahren” frequency rank
- #45,252
- “ernähre” frequency rank
- 46326
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfahren | ernähre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | durch eigenes Erleben kennen lernen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ernähren |
Where the eye mixes erfahren and ernähre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erfahren runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against ernähre's 7 (VCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between erfahren and ernähre
A purely visual mix-up. erfahren ([ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁən]) and ernähre ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁə]) 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 46326, 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]. ernähre is at rank #45,252, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁə].
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 46326, this pair ranks #1,322,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erfahren vs ernähre
Shared letters: ehnr. Private to "erfahren": af. Private to "ernähre": ä.
"erfahren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ernähre" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- erfahren ← efrahren · erafhren · erfahern · erfahhren · erfahrenn · erfahrne · erfahrren · erfarhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfahren" and "ernähre" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "erfahren" or "ernähre" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfahren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ernähre" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,322,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfahren" and "ernähre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernähre vs erwähne". 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 #1,322,921 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.