Which to use
“erfährt” and “erzählt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,116
- “erfährt” frequency rank
- #926
- “erzählt” frequency rank
- 5042
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfährt | erzählt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfahren | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erzählen |
Where the eye mixes erfährt and erzählt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erfährt and erzählt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between erfährt and erzählt
A purely visual mix-up. erfährt ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɛːɐ̯t]) and erzählt ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlt]) 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 5042, 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]. erzählt is at rank #926, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlt].
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 5042, this pair ranks #1,995,943 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfährt vs erzählt
Shared letters: ehrtä. Private to "erfährt": f. Private to "erzählt": lz.
"erfährt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC · "erzählt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erfährt" for "erzählt" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erfährt" or "erzählt"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfährt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,995,943 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfährt" and "erzählt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfährt vs ernähre". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,995,943 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.