erfüllevserfüllenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,702
“erfülle” frequency rank
#2,709
“erfüllen” frequency rank
25411
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfülle erfüllen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfüllen die Gedanken beherrschen, starke Gefühle auslösen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
erfülle
8 ch
erfüllen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erfülle ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlə]) and erfüllen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “erfülle” sits inside “erfüllen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25411, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erfülle is recorded at frequency rank #22,702, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlə]. erfüllen is at rank #2,709, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlən].

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 25411, this pair ranks #1,833,730 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfülle vs erfüllen

Shared letters: eflrü. Private to "erfülle": -. Private to "erfüllen": n.

"erfülle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "erfüllen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

erfülle#22,702
erfüllen#2,709

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfülle" and "erfüllen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlə] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erfülle" or "erfüllen"?
"erfüllen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,709 in our German list, against #22,702 for "erfülle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erfülle vs erfüllen

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 “erfülle” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list