Which to use
“erfolglos” and “erfolglosen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,710
- “erfolglos” frequency rank
- #33,025
- “erfolglosen” frequency rank
- 42735
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfolglos | erfolglosen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne Erfolg | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs erfolglos |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erfolglos and erfolglosen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. erfolglos ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkloːs]) and erfolglosen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkloːzn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “erfolglos” sits inside “erfolglosen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42735, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfolglos is recorded at frequency rank #9,710, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkloːs]. erfolglosen is at rank #33,025, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkloːzn̩].
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 42735, this pair ranks #1,440,175 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erfolglos vs erfolglosen
Shared letters: efglors. Private to "erfolglos": -. Private to "erfolglosen": n.
"erfolglos" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "erfolglosen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erfolglos ← efrolglos · erffolglos · erfloglos · erfogllos · erfolgglos · erfolgllos · erfolgloss · erfolglso
- erfolglosen ← efrolglosen · erffolglosen · erfloglosen · erfogllosen · erfolgglosen · erfolgllosen · erfolgloesn · erfolglosenn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfolglos" and "erfolglosen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erfolglos" or "erfolglosen"?
Remembering erfolglos vs erfolglosen
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 “erfolglos” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable