Which to use
“erfüllen” and “erhellen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,709
- “erfüllen” frequency rank
- #43,152
- “erhellen” frequency rank
- 45861
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erfüllen | erhellen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Gedanken beherrschen, starke Gefühle auslösen | für mehr Licht (Helligkeit) sorgen, etwas heller werden lassen |
Where the eye mixes erfüllen and erhellen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: erfüllen vs erhellen
A purely visual mix-up. erfüllen ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlən]) and erhellen ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45861, 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]. erhellen is at rank #43,152, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɛlən].
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 45861, this pair ranks #1,338,689 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erfüllen vs erhellen
Shared letters: elnr. Private to "erfüllen": fü. Private to "erhellen": h.
"erfüllen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erhellen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erhellen ← ehrellen · erehllen · erheleln · erhelen · erhellenn · erhellne · erhhellen · erhlelen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erfüllen" and "erhellen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erfüllen" or "erhellen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erfüllen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erhellen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,338,689 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erfüllen" and "erhellen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Eizellen vs erhellen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,338,689 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.