erfährstvsernährtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,892
“erfährst” frequency rank
#14,057
“ernährt” frequency rank
33949
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfährst ernährt
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfahren Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ernähren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erfährst and ernährt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
erfährst
7 ch
ernährt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erfährst ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯st]) and ernährt ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t]) 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 33949, 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]. ernährt is at rank #14,057, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t].

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 33949, this pair ranks #1,674,462 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfährst vs ernährt

Shared letters: ehrtä. Private to "erfährst": fs. Private to "ernährt": n.

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

Frequency comparison

erfährst#19,892
ernährt#14,057

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfährst" and "ernährt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯st] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erfährst" or "ernährt"?
"ernährt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,057 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.

Remembering erfährst vs ernährt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erfährst” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list