erfährstvserfasstTell them apart

Which to use

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

#19,892
“erfährst” frequency rank
#3,370
“erfasst” frequency rank
23262
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfährst erfasst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfahren Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erfassen

Where the eye mixes erfährst and erfasst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erfährst runs 8 letters (VCCVCCCC) against erfasst's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
erfährst
7 ch
erfasst

Visual trap between erfährst and erfasst

A purely visual mix-up. erfährst ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯st]) and erfasst ([ɛɐ̯ˈfast]) 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 23262, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erfährst is recorded at frequency rank #19,892, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯st]. erfasst is at rank #3,370, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfast].

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 23262, this pair ranks #1,863,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfährst vs erfasst

Shared letters: efrst. Private to "erfährst": hä. Private to "erfasst": a.

"erfährst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC  ·  "erfasst" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erfasst ← efrasst · erafsst · erfasstt · erfast · erfasts · erfaßt · erffasst · erfsast

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "erfährst" for "erfasst" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯st] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfast]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erfährst" or "erfasst"?
"erfasst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,370 in our German list, against #19,892 for "erfährst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "erfährst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erfasst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,863,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erfährst" and "erfasst" 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 #1,863,569 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list