Which to use
“erfolgen” is a verb and “erfolgter” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,589
- “erfolgen” frequency rank
- #31,028
- “erfolgter” frequency rank
- 33617
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfolgen | erfolgter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | stattfinden, sich ereignen, getan werden (der Inhalt des Tuns steckt im Subjekt des Satzes) | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erfolgt |
Where the eye mixes erfolgen and erfolgter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erfolgen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against erfolgter's 9 (VCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erfolgen vs erfolgter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erfolgen is [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩] while erfolgter is [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlktɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfolgen is recorded at frequency rank #2,589, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩]. erfolgter is at rank #31,028, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlktɐ].
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 33617, this pair ranks #1,681,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfolgen vs erfolgter
Shared letters: efglor. Private to "erfolgen": n. Private to "erfolgter": t.
"erfolgen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erfolgter" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erfolgen" for "erfolgter" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erfolgen" vs "erfolgter" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfolgen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erfolgter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,681,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfolgen" and "erfolgter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erfolges vs erfolgter". 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 #1,681,878 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.