Which to use
“erfährt” and “ernähre” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,116
- “erfährt” frequency rank
- #45,252
- “ernähre” frequency rank
- 49368
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfährt | ernähre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfahren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ernähren |
Where the eye mixes erfährt and ernähre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erfährt (VCCVCCC) and ernähre (VCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: erfährt vs ernähre
A purely visual mix-up. erfährt ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯t]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49368, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfährt is recorded at frequency rank #4,116, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯t]. 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 49368, this pair ranks #1,214,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erfährt vs ernähre
Shared letters: ehrä. Private to "erfährt": ft. Private to "ernähre": n.
"erfährt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC · "ernähre" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfährt" and "ernähre" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "erfährt" or "ernähre" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "erfährt" and "ernähre" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfährt" 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 #1,214,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfährt" and "ernähre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernähre vs erwähne". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,214,114 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.