Which to use
“erfüllen” and “erfüllt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,709
- “erfüllen” frequency rank
- #2,056
- “erfüllt” frequency rank
- 4765
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfüllen | erfüllt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Gedanken beherrschen, starke Gefühle auslösen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erfüllen |
Where the eye mixes erfüllen and erfüllt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erfüllen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against erfüllt's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erfüllen vs erfüllt
A purely visual mix-up. erfüllen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4765, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erfüllen is recorded at frequency rank #2,709, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlən]. 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 4765, this pair ranks #1,996,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfüllen vs erfüllt
Shared letters: eflrü. Private to "erfüllen": n. Private to "erfüllt": t.
"erfüllen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erfüllt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erfüllen" for "erfüllt" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erfüllen" or "erfüllt"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfüllen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erfüllt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfüllen" and "erfüllt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfüllen vs erfülltes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,996,735 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.