erfolgenvserwogenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,589
“erfolgen” frequency rank
#25,993
“erwogen” frequency rank
28582
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfolgen erwogen
Definition stattfinden, sich ereignen, getan werden (der Inhalt des Tuns steckt im Subjekt des Satzes) 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erwägen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erfolgen and erwogen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
erfolgen
7 ch
erwogen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erfolgen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩]) and erwogen ([ɛɐ̯ˈvoːɡn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28582, 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]. erwogen is at rank #25,993, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvoːɡn̩].

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 28582, this pair ranks #1,782,210 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfolgen vs erwogen

Shared letters: egnor. Private to "erfolgen": fl. Private to "erwogen": w.

"erfolgen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "erwogen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erfolgenefrolgen · erffolgen · erflogen · erfoglen · erfolegn · erfolgenn · erfolggen · erfolgne
  • erwogenerowgen · errwogen · erwgoen · erwoegn · erwogenn · erwoggen · erwogne · erwwogen

Frequency comparison

erfolgen#2,589
erwogen#25,993

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfolgen" and "erwogen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlɡn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈvoːɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erfolgen" or "erwogen"?
"erfolgen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,589 in our German list, against #25,993 for "erwogen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering erfolgen vs erwogen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erfolgen” 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