erfüllevserfülltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,702
“erfülle” frequency rank
#2,056
“erfüllt” frequency rank
24758
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfülle erfüllt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erfüllen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erfüllen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
erfülle
7 ch
erfüllt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erfülle ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlə]) and erfüllt ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlt]) 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 - e in “erfülle” becomes t in “erfüllt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24758, 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]. erfüllt is at rank #2,056, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlt].

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 24758, this pair ranks #1,843,183 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfülle vs erfüllt

Shared letters: eflrü. Private to "erfülle": -. Private to "erfüllt": t.

"erfülle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "erfüllt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

erfülle#22,702
erfüllt#2,056

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfülle" and "erfüllt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlə] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erfülle" or "erfüllt"?
"erfüllt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,056 in our German list, against #22,702 for "erfülle". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering erfülle vs erfüllt

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