Which to use
“erfassen” and “erfasst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,311
- “erfassen” frequency rank
- #3,370
- “erfasst” frequency rank
- 10681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfassen | erfasst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ergreifen, mitreißen; meistens durch ein vorbeikommendes Fahrzeug | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erfassen |
Where the eye mixes erfassen and erfasst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erfassen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against erfasst's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erfassen vs erfasst
A purely visual mix-up. erfassen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfasn̩]) 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 10681, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfassen is recorded at frequency rank #7,311, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfasn̩]. 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 10681, this pair ranks #1,973,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfassen vs erfasst
Shared letters: aefrs. Private to "erfassen": n. Private to "erfasst": t.
"erfassen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erfasst" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erfassen" and "erfasst" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "erfassen" or "erfasst" 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 "erfassen" 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 #1,973,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfassen" and "erfasst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfasst vs erlässt". 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 #1,973,884 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.