Which to use
“ergeht” and “erlebt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,324
- “ergeht” frequency rank
- #1,879
- “erlebt” frequency rank
- 24203
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergeht | erlebt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ergehen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erleben |
Where the eye mixes ergeht and erlebt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. ergeht and erlebt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses ergeht with erlebt
A purely visual mix-up. ergeht ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡeːt]) and erlebt ([ɛɐ̯ˈleːpt]) 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 24203, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergeht is recorded at frequency rank #22,324, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡeːt]. erlebt is at rank #1,879, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈleːpt].
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 24203, this pair ranks #1,850,958 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ergeht vs erlebt
Shared letters: ert. Private to "ergeht": gh. Private to "erlebt": bl.
"ergeht" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "erlebt" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ergeht" and "erlebt" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ergeht" vs "erlebt" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ergeht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlebt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,850,958 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergeht" and "erlebt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eight vs ergeht". 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 #1,850,958 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.