Which to use
“Erfolge” is a noun and “erfolgen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,891
- “Erfolge” frequency rank
- #2,589
- “erfolgen” frequency rank
- 5480
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erfolge | erfolgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Erfolg | stattfinden, sich ereignen, getan werden (der Inhalt des Tuns steckt im Subjekt des Satzes) |
Where the eye mixes Erfolge and erfolgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Erfolge runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against erfolgen's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Erfolge and erfolgen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Erfolge is [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡə] while erfolgen is [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Erfolge” sits inside “erfolgen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5480, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erfolge is recorded at frequency rank #2,891, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡə]. erfolgen is at rank #2,589, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩].
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 5480, this pair ranks #1,994,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Erfolge vs erfolgen
Shared letters: efglor. Private to "Erfolge": -. Private to "erfolgen": n.
"Erfolge" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erfolgen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Erfolge" for "erfolgen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Erfolge" or "erfolgen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Erfolge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erfolgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,994,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erfolge" and "erfolgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbfolge vs Erfolge". 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 #1,994,621 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.