erfasstvserfassteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erfasst is a verb, erfasste is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erfasst” is a verb and “erfasste” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,370
“erfasst” frequency rank
#20,570
“erfasste” frequency rank
23940
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfasst erfasste
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erfassen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erfasst

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erfasst and erfasste apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
erfasst
8 ch
erfasste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erfasst is [ɛɐ̯ˈfast] while erfasste is [ɛɐ̯ˈfastə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “erfasst” sits inside “erfasste”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23940, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erfasst is recorded at frequency rank #3,370, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfast]. erfasste is at rank #20,570, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfastə].

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 23940, this pair ranks #1,854,513 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfasst vs erfasste

Shared letters: aefrst. Private to "erfasst": -. Private to "erfasste": -.

"erfasst" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "erfasste" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erfasstefrasst · erafsst · erfasstt · erfast · erfasts · erfaßt · erffasst · erfsast
  • erfassteefrasste · erafsste · erfasset · erfasstte · erfaste · erfastse · erfaßte · erffasste

Frequency comparison

erfasst#3,370
erfasste#20,570

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfasst" and "erfasste" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erfasst" is a verb and "erfasste" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erfasst" or "erfasste"?
"erfasst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,370 in our German list, against #20,570 for "erfasste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erfasst vs erfasste

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erfasst”; for an adjective, it's “erfasste”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erfasst” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list