Which to use
“ergründen” and “errungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,034
- “ergründen” frequency rank
- #19,559
- “errungen” frequency rank
- 49593
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergründen | errungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas bis ins Letzte klären; den Grund oder die Ursache für etwas herausfinden | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erringen |
Where the eye mixes ergründen and errungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ergründen runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against errungen's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ergründen vs errungen
A purely visual mix-up. ergründen ([ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩]) and errungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈʁʊŋən]) 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 49593, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergründen is recorded at frequency rank #30,034, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈɡʁʏndn̩]. errungen is at rank #19,559, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʁʊŋən].
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 49593, this pair ranks #1,205,592 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ergründen vs errungen
Shared letters: egnr. Private to "ergründen": dü. Private to "errungen": u.
"ergründen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "errungen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- errungen ← errnugen · errugnen · errunegn · errungenn · errunggen · errungne · errunngen · erungen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ergründen" and "errungen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ergründen" or "errungen" show up more?
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 "ergründen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "errungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,205,592 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ergründen" and "errungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhängen vs errungen". 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 #1,205,592 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.