Which to use
“erfolglos” is an adjective and “Erfolgs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,710
- “erfolglos” frequency rank
- #16,980
- “Erfolgs” frequency rank
- 26690
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfolglos | Erfolgs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne Erfolg | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Erfolg |
Where the eye mixes erfolglos and Erfolgs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erfolglos runs 9 letters (VCCVCCCVC) against Erfolgs's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erfolglos vs Erfolgs
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erfolglos is [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkloːs] while Erfolgs is [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26690, 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]. Erfolgs is at rank #16,980, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlks].
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 26690, this pair ranks #1,813,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfolglos vs Erfolgs
Shared letters: efglors. Private to "erfolglos": -. Private to "Erfolgs": -.
"erfolglos" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "Erfolgs" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfolglos" and "Erfolgs" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "erfolglos" or "Erfolgs" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfolglos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erfolgs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,813,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfolglos" and "Erfolgs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbfolge vs Erfolgs". 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 #1,813,994 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.