Which to use
“ergreifen” is a verb and “Ergreifung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,552
- “ergreifen” frequency rank
- #45,250
- “Ergreifung” frequency rank
- 53802
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergreifen | Ergreifung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit den Händen anfassen, festhalten, nach etwas greifen | Festnahme eines Gesuchten/Flüchtigen |
Where the eye mixes ergreifen and Ergreifung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ergreifen runs 9 letters (VCCCVVCVC) against Ergreifung's 10 (VCCCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ergreifen and Ergreifung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ergreifen is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩] while Ergreifung is [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaɪ̯fʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53802, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergreifen is recorded at frequency rank #8,552, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaɪ̯fn̩]. Ergreifung is at rank #45,250, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaɪ̯fʊŋ].
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 53802, this pair ranks #1,043,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ergreifen vs Ergreifung
Shared letters: efginr. Private to "ergreifen": -. Private to "Ergreifung": u.
"ergreifen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC · "Ergreifung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ergreifen ← egrreifen · ergerifen · erggreifen · ergrefien · ergreiefn · ergreifenn · ergreiffen · ergreifne
- Ergreifung ← egrreifung · ergerifung · erggreifung · ergrefiung · ergreiffung · ergreifnug · ergreifugn · ergreifungg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ergreifen" and "Ergreifung" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ergreifen" vs "Ergreifung" - which ranks higher?
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 "ergreifen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ergreifung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,043,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergreifen" and "Ergreifung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergreifend vs Ergreifung". 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 #1,043,677 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.