erhebenvsErhebungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erheben is a verb, Erhebung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erheben” is a verb and “Erhebung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,077
“erheben” frequency rank
#5,165
“Erhebung” frequency rank
10242
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erheben Erhebung
Definition jemanden oder etwas (physisch oder gesellschaftlich) in eine höhere Position bringen kleiner Hügel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erheben and Erhebung apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
erheben
8 ch
Erhebung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erheben is [ɛɐ̯ˈheːbn̩] while Erhebung is [ɛɐ̯ˈheːbʊŋ]. 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 10242, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erheben is recorded at frequency rank #5,077, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈheːbn̩]. Erhebung is at rank #5,165, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈheːbʊŋ].

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 10242, this pair ranks #1,976,080 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erheben vs Erhebung

Shared letters: behnr. Private to "erheben": -. Private to "Erhebung": gu.

"erheben" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "Erhebung" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erhebenehreben · erehben · erhbeen · erhebben · erhebenn · erhebne · erheebn · erhheben
  • Erhebungehrebung · erehbung · erhbeung · erhebbung · erhebnug · erhebugn · erhebungg · erhebunng

Frequency comparison

erheben#5,077
Erhebung#5,165

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erheben" and "Erhebung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erheben" is a verb and "Erhebung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erheben" or "Erhebung"?
"erheben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,077 in our German list, against #5,165 for "Erhebung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erheben vs Erhebung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erheben”; for a noun, it's “Erhebung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erheben” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list