ErfolgvsErfolgesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Erfolg” and “Erfolges” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#581
“Erfolg” frequency rank
#21,237
“Erfolges” frequency rank
21818
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erfolg Erfolges
Definition das Gelingen einer Sache Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Erfolg

Where the eye mixes Erfolg and Erfolges

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Erfolg runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against Erfolges's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Erfolg
8 ch
Erfolges

Visual trap between Erfolg and Erfolges

A purely visual mix-up. Erfolg ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk]) and Erfolges ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡəs]) 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) - “Erfolg” sits inside “Erfolges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21818, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erfolg is recorded at frequency rank #581, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk]. Erfolges is at rank #21,237, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡəs].

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 21818, this pair ranks #1,881,788 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erfolg vs Erfolges

Shared letters: efglor. Private to "Erfolg": -. Private to "Erfolges": s.

"Erfolg" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Erfolges" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erfolg ← efrolg · erffolg · erflog · erfogl · erfolgg · erfollg · eroflg · errfolg
  • Erfolges ← efrolges · erffolges · erfloges · erfogles · erfolegs · erfolgess · erfolgges · erfolgse

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Erfolg" and "Erfolges" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Erfolg" or "Erfolges" show up more?
"Erfolg" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #581 in our German list, against #21,237 for "Erfolges". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Erfolg" and "Erfolges" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Erfolg" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erfolges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,881,788 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Erfolg" and "Erfolges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbfolge vs Erfolges". 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 #1,881,788 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list