Which to use
“erfüllen” is a verb and “Erfüllung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,709
- “erfüllen” frequency rank
- #4,695
- “Erfüllung” frequency rank
- 7404
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfüllen | Erfüllung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Gedanken beherrschen, starke Gefühle auslösen | Realisierung (von Plänen, Hoffnungen, Wünschen, Prophezeiungen) |
Where the eye mixes erfüllen and Erfüllung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erfüllen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against Erfüllung's 9 (VCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erfüllen with Erfüllung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erfüllen is [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlən] while Erfüllung is [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlʊŋ]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7404, 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]. Erfüllung is at rank #4,695, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlʊŋ].
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 7404, this pair ranks #1,988,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erfüllen vs Erfüllung
Shared letters: eflnrü. Private to "erfüllen": -. Private to "Erfüllung": gu.
"erfüllen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "Erfüllung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erfüllen" for "Erfüllung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "erfüllen" or "Erfüllung" show up more?
After this comparison
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 "Erfüllung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfüllen" and "Erfüllung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erfüllen vs erfülltes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,988,286 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.