Which to use
“ergänzten” and “erlangten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,464
- “ergänzten” frequency rank
- #28,638
- “erlangten” frequency rank
- 71102
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergänzten | erlangten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ergänzt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erlangt |
Where the eye mixes ergänzten and erlangten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ergänzten and erlangten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: ergänzten vs erlangten
A purely visual mix-up. ergänzten ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stn̩]) and erlangten ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋtn̩]) 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 71102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergänzten is recorded at frequency rank #42,464, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡stn̩]. erlangten is at rank #28,638, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋtn̩].
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 71102, this pair ranks #426,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ergänzten vs erlangten
Shared letters: egnrt. Private to "ergänzten": zä. Private to "erlangten": al.
"ergänzten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "erlangten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erlangten ← elrangten · eralngten · erlagnten · erlangetn · erlanggten · erlangtenn · erlangtne · erlangtten
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ergänzten" for "erlangten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ergänzten" or "erlangten"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ergänzten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlangten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #426,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergänzten" and "erlangten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergänze vs ergänzten". 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 #426,708 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.