erfordernvsermordenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,074
“erfordern” frequency rank
#16,983
“ermorden” frequency rank
27057
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfordern ermorden
Definition etwas unbedingt verlangen, etwas notwendig machen mit Vorsatz einen Mord begehen, jemanden umbringen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erfordern and ermorden apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
erfordern
8 ch
ermorden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erfordern ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐn]) and ermorden ([ɛɐ̯ˈmɔʁdn̩]) 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 27057, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erfordern is recorded at frequency rank #10,074, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐn]. ermorden is at rank #16,983, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈmɔʁdn̩].

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 27057, this pair ranks #1,808,052 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfordern vs ermorden

Shared letters: denor. Private to "erfordern": f. Private to "ermorden": m.

"erfordern" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC  ·  "ermorden" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erfordernefrordern · erffordern · erfodrern · erforddern · erfordenr · erfordernn · erforderrn · erfordren
  • ermordenemrorden · ermmorden · ermodren · ermordden · ermordenn · ermordne · ermoredn · ermorrden

Frequency comparison

erfordern#10,074
ermorden#16,983

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfordern" and "ermorden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfɔʁdɐn] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈmɔʁdn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erfordern" or "ermorden"?
"erfordern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,074 in our German list, against #16,983 for "ermorden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erfordern vs ermorden

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 “erfordern” 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