erhitztvserlittWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“erhitzt” and “erlitt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#21,238
“erhitzt” frequency rank
#9,363
“erlitt” frequency rank
30601
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erhitzt erlitt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erhitzen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erleiden

Where the eye mixes erhitzt and erlitt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erhitzt runs 7 letters (VCCVCCC) against erlitt's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
erhitzt
6 ch
erlitt

Visual trap between erhitzt and erlitt

A purely visual mix-up. erhitzt ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɪt͡st]) and erlitt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɪt]) 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 30601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erhitzt is recorded at frequency rank #21,238, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhɪt͡st]. erlitt is at rank #9,363, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɪt].

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 30601, this pair ranks #1,744,627 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erhitzt vs erlitt

Shared letters: eirt. Private to "erhitzt": hz. Private to "erlitt": l.

"erhitzt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "erlitt" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erhitztehritzt · erhhitzt · erhittz · erhittzt · erhitztt · erhitzzt · erhiztt · erhtizt
  • erlittelritt · eriltt · erlit · erllitt · erltit · errlitt · relitt

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "erhitzt" and "erlitt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈhɪt͡st] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈlɪt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erhitzt" or "erlitt"?
"erlitt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,363 in our German list, against #21,238 for "erhitzt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "erhitzt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erlitt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,744,627 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erhitzt" and "erlitt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erliegt vs erlitt". 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 #1,744,627 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list