erfundenvserkundetWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,425
“erfunden” frequency rank
#23,921
“erkundet” frequency rank
28346
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erfunden erkundet
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erfinden Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erkunden

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
erfunden
8 ch
erkundet

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erfunden ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʊndn̩]) and erkundet ([ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndət]) 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 28346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erfunden is recorded at frequency rank #4,425, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈfʊndn̩]. erkundet is at rank #23,921, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndət].

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 28346, this pair ranks #1,786,435 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erfunden vs erkundet

Shared letters: denru. Private to "erfunden": f. Private to "erkundet": kt.

"erfunden" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "erkundet" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erfundenefrunden · erffunden · erfnuden · erfudnen · erfundden · erfundenn · erfundne · erfunedn
  • erkundetekrundet · erkkundet · erknudet · erkudnet · erkunddet · erkundett · erkundte · erkunedt

Frequency comparison

erfunden#4,425
erkundet#23,921

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erfunden" and "erkundet" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈfʊndn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndət]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erfunden" or "erkundet"?
"erfunden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,425 in our German list, against #23,921 for "erkundet". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erfunden vs erkundet

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 “erfunden” 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