Which to use
“Erfahrung” and “Erfahrungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #924
- “Erfahrung” frequency rank
- #1,287
- “Erfahrungen” frequency rank
- 2211
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erfahrung | Erfahrungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kenntnis, die jemand durch wiederholte Praxis in einem bestimmten Gebiet bekommt | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Erfahrung |
Where the eye mixes Erfahrung and Erfahrungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Erfahrung runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVCC) against Erfahrungen's 11 (VCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Erfahrung vs Erfahrungen
A purely visual mix-up. Erfahrung ([ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁʊŋ]) and Erfahrungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁʊŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Erfahrung” sits inside “Erfahrungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2211, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erfahrung is recorded at frequency rank #924, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁʊŋ]. Erfahrungen is at rank #1,287, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfaːʁʊŋən].
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 2211, this pair ranks #2,002,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Erfahrung vs Erfahrungen
Shared letters: aefghnru. Private to "Erfahrung": -. Private to "Erfahrungen": -.
"Erfahrung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Erfahrungen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Erfahrung ← efrahrung · erafhrung · erfahhrung · erfahrnug · erfahrrung · erfahrugn · erfahrungg · erfahrunng
- Erfahrungen ← efrahrungen · erafhrungen · erfahhrungen · erfahrnugen · erfahrrungen · erfahrugnen · erfahrunegn · erfahrungenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Erfahrung" and "Erfahrungen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Erfahrung" or "Erfahrungen" 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 "Erfahrung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erfahrungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,002,850 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erfahrung" and "Erfahrungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erfahrungen vs Erwähnungen". 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 #2,002,850 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.