Which to use
“ergriff” and “ergriffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,894
- “ergriff” frequency rank
- #11,045
- “ergriffen” frequency rank
- 30939
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergriff | ergriffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs ergreifen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ergreifen |
Where the eye mixes ergriff and ergriffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ergriff runs 7 letters (VCCCVCC) against ergriffen's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ergriff and ergriffen
A purely visual mix-up. ergriff ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁɪf]) and ergriffen ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁɪfn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “ergriff” sits inside “ergriffen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergriff is recorded at frequency rank #19,894, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁɪf]. ergriffen is at rank #11,045, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁɪfn̩].
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 30939, this pair ranks #1,737,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ergriff vs ergriffen
Shared letters: efgir. Private to "ergriff": -. Private to "ergriffen": n.
"ergriff" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "ergriffen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ergriff" and "ergriffen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ergriff" or "ergriffen" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ergriff" and "ergriffen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ergriff" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ergriffen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,737,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergriff" and "ergriffen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ergreift vs ergriff". 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 #1,737,999 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.