ergänztvserkanntConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,574
“ergänzt” frequency rank
#2,711
“erkannt” frequency rank
6285
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ergänzt erkannt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ergänzen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erkennen

Where the eye mixes ergänzt and erkannt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. ergänzt and erkannt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
ergänzt
7 ch
erkannt

Look-alike desk: ergänzt vs erkannt

A purely visual mix-up. ergänzt ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡st]) and erkannt ([ɛɐ̯ˈkant]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6285, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ergänzt is recorded at frequency rank #3,574, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡st]. erkannt is at rank #2,711, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkant].

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 6285, this pair ranks #1,992,144 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ergänzt vs erkannt

Shared letters: enrt. Private to "ergänzt": gzä. Private to "erkannt": ak.

"ergänzt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "erkannt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erkannt ← ekrannt · eraknnt · erkanntt · erkant · erkantn · erkkannt · erknant · errkannt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ergänzt" and "erkannt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡st] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈkant]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "ergänzt" vs "erkannt" - which ranks higher?
"erkannt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,711 in our German list, against #3,574 for "ergänzt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "ergänzt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erkannt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,992,144 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ergänzt" and "erkannt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergänze vs ergänzt". 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 #1,992,144 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list