ErfolgvsErfolgsWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#581
“Erfolg” frequency rank
#16,980
“Erfolgs” frequency rank
17561
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the eye mixes Erfolg and Erfolgs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Erfolg
7 ch
Erfolgs

Visual trap between Erfolg and Erfolgs

A purely visual mix-up. Erfolg ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk]) and Erfolgs ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Erfolg” sits inside “Erfolgs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17561, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erfolg is recorded at frequency rank #581, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk]. Erfolgs is at rank #16,980, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks].

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 17561, this pair ranks #1,926,275 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erfolg vs Erfolgs

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

"Erfolg" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Erfolgs" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erfolgefrolg · erffolg · erflog · erfogl · erfolgg · erfollg · eroflg · errfolg
  • Erfolgsefrolgs · erffolgs · erflogs · erfogls · erfolggs · erfolgss · erfollgs · erfolsg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Erfolg" and "Erfolgs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Erfolg" vs "Erfolgs" - which ranks higher?
"Erfolg" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #581 in our German list, against #16,980 for "Erfolgs". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Erfolg" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erfolgs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,926,275 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Erfolg" and "Erfolgs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbfolge vs Erfolgs". 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 #1,926,275 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