ErfolgevserfolgenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Erfolge is a noun, erfolgen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

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 spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Erfolge
8 ch
erfolgen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Erfolge and erfolgen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Erfolge” sits inside “erfolgen” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. 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.

Frequency comparison

Erfolge#2,891
erfolgen#2,589

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Erfolge" and "erfolgen" be used interchangeably?
No, "Erfolge" and "erfolgen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering Erfolge vs erfolgen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Erfolge”; for a verb, it's “erfolgen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Erfolge” 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