Which to use
“erfragen” and “ertragen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,625
- “erfragen” frequency rank
- #4,878
- “ertragen” frequency rank
- 39503
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfragen | ertragen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Auskunft durch Fragen erhalten, um eine Auskunft bitten | eine unangenehme oder schwierige Situation hinnehmen und deswegen nicht die Beherrschung verlieren oder zusammenbrechen |
Where the eye mixes erfragen and ertragen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erfragen and ertragen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between erfragen and ertragen
A purely visual mix-up. erfragen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʁaːɡn̩]) and ertragen ([ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]) 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 a single letter - f in “erfragen” becomes t in “ertragen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39503, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfragen is recorded at frequency rank #34,625, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʁaːɡn̩]. ertragen is at rank #4,878, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩].
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 39503, this pair ranks #1,534,986 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfragen vs ertragen
Shared letters: aegnr. Private to "erfragen": f. Private to "ertragen": t.
"erfragen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC · "ertragen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfragen" and "ertragen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "erfragen" vs "ertragen" - which ranks higher?
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 "erfragen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ertragen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,534,986 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfragen" and "ertragen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfragen vs erfroren". 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 #1,534,986 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.