Which to use
“Ergänzung” and “Erlangung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,292
- “Ergänzung” frequency rank
- #27,277
- “Erlangung” frequency rank
- 33569
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ergänzung | Erlangung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Akt der Hinzufügung fehlender Elemente zur Vervollständigung einer bestehenden Menge | die Inbesitznahme von körperlichen Gütern oder geistigen Werten; das Erreichen von Zielen |
Where the eye mixes Ergänzung and Erlangung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Ergänzung and Erlangung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Ergänzung with Erlangung
A purely visual mix-up. Ergänzung ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋ]) and Erlangung ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋʊŋ]) 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 33569, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ergänzung is recorded at frequency rank #6,292, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡɛnt͡sʊŋ]. Erlangung is at rank #27,277, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋʊŋ].
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 33569, this pair ranks #1,683,034 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ergänzung vs Erlangung
Shared letters: egnru. Private to "Ergänzung": zä. Private to "Erlangung": al.
"Ergänzung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Erlangung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Erlangung ← elrangung · eralngung · erlagnung · erlanggung · erlangnug · erlangugn · erlangungg · erlangunng
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Ergänzung" and "Erlangung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Ergänzung" or "Erlangung"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Ergänzung" and "Erlangung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ergänzung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erlangung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,683,034 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ergänzung" and "Erlangung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erlangung vs Erwägung". 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 #1,683,034 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.