erfreuenvserfreutWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erfreuen is a verb, erfreut is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erfreuen” is a verb and “erfreut” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,044
“erfreuen” frequency rank
#5,358
“erfreut” frequency rank
16402
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfreuen erfreut
Definition eine Sache genießen, für eine Sache Freude, fröhliches Gefühl empfinden durch etwas oder jemanden positiv gestimmt sein

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erfreuen and erfreut apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
erfreuen
7 ch
erfreut

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erfreuen is [ɛɐ̯ˈfʁɔɪ̯ən] while erfreut is [ɛɐ̯ˈfʁɔɪ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16402, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erfreuen is recorded at frequency rank #11,044, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʁɔɪ̯ən]. erfreut is at rank #5,358, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʁɔɪ̯t].

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 16402, this pair ranks #1,936,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfreuen vs erfreut

Shared letters: efru. Private to "erfreuen": n. Private to "erfreut": t.

"erfreuen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVVC  ·  "erfreut" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erfreuenefrreuen · erferuen · erffreuen · erfreeun · erfreuenn · erfreune · erfrreuen · erfrueen
  • erfreutefrreut · erferut · erffreut · erfretu · erfreutt · erfrreut · erfruet · errfeut

Frequency comparison

erfreuen#11,044
erfreut#5,358

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfreuen" and "erfreut" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erfreuen" is a verb and "erfreut" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erfreuen" or "erfreut"?
"erfreut" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,358 in our German list, against #11,044 for "erfreuen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erfreuen vs erfreut

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erfreuen”; for an adjective, it's “erfreut”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erfreuen” 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