erfolgtvserholtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,547
“erfolgt” frequency rank
#10,467
“erholt” frequency rank
12014
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfolgt erholt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfolgen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erholen

Where the eye mixes erfolgt and erholt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erfolgt runs 7 letters (VCCVCCC) against erholt's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
erfolgt
6 ch
erholt

Look-alike desk: erfolgt vs erholt

A purely visual mix-up. erfolgt ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkt]) and erholt ([ɛɐ̯ˈhoːlt]) 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 12014, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erfolgt is recorded at frequency rank #1,547, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkt]. erholt is at rank #10,467, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhoːlt].

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 12014, this pair ranks #1,966,671 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfolgt vs erholt

Shared letters: elort. Private to "erfolgt": fg. Private to "erholt": h.

"erfolgt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "erholt" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erfolgt ← efrolgt · erffolgt · erflogt · erfoglt · erfolggt · erfolgtt · erfollgt · erfoltg
  • erholt ← ehrolt · erhholt · erhlot · erhollt · erholtt · erhotl · erohlt · errholt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "erfolgt" for "erholt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlkt] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈhoːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "erfolgt" or "erholt" show up more?
"erfolgt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,547 in our German list, against #10,467 for "erholt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "erfolgt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erholt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,966,671 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erfolgt" and "erholt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erbost vs erholt". 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 #1,966,671 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list