Which to use
“ergreift” and “ergriff” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,873
- “ergreift” frequency rank
- #19,894
- “ergriff” frequency rank
- 37767
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergreift | ergriff |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ergreifen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs ergreifen |
Where the eye mixes ergreift and ergriff
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ergreift runs 8 letters (VCCCVVCC) against ergriff's 7 (VCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ergreift and ergriff
A purely visual mix-up. ergreift ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaɪ̯ft]) and ergriff ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁɪf]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37767, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergreift is recorded at frequency rank #17,873, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁaɪ̯ft]. ergriff is at rank #19,894, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁɪf].
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 37767, this pair ranks #1,581,563 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ergreift vs ergriff
Shared letters: efgir. Private to "ergreift": t. Private to "ergriff": -.
"ergreift" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCC · "ergriff" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ergreift" and "ergriff" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ergreift" vs "ergriff" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ergreift" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ergriff" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,581,563 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergreift" and "ergriff" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eingreift vs ergreift". 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 #1,581,563 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.