Which to use
“erhöhen” and “ertönen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,954
- “erhöhen” frequency rank
- #40,516
- “ertönen” frequency rank
- 43470
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erhöhen | ertönen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas anheben, steigen lassen, größer machen | als Ton, Klang wahrnehmbar werden |
Where the eye mixes erhöhen and ertönen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erhöhen and ertönen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses erhöhen with ertönen
A purely visual mix-up. erhöhen ([ɛɐ̯ˈhøːən]) and ertönen ([ɛɐ̯ˈtøːnən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43470, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erhöhen is recorded at frequency rank #2,954, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈhøːən]. ertönen is at rank #40,516, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtøːnən].
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 43470, this pair ranks #1,417,044 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erhöhen vs ertönen
Shared letters: enrö. Private to "erhöhen": h. Private to "ertönen": t.
"erhöhen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "ertönen" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erhöhen" and "ertönen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erhöhen" or "ertönen"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erhöhen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ertönen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,417,044 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erhöhen" and "ertönen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ertönen vs ertönte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,417,044 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.