Which to use
“Erkältung” and “Erkältungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,699
- “Erkältung” frequency rank
- #47,358
- “Erkältungen” frequency rank
- 60057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erkältung | Erkältungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Erkrankung, Infektion der Atemwege (zum Beispiel Husten, Schnupfen, Heiserkeit, Katarrh) | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Erkältung |
Where the eye mixes Erkältung and Erkältungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Erkältung and Erkältungen
A purely visual mix-up. Erkältung ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltʊŋ]) and Erkältungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltʊŋən]) 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) - “Erkältung” sits inside “Erkältungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60057, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erkältung is recorded at frequency rank #12,699, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltʊŋ]. Erkältungen is at rank #47,358, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛltʊŋən].
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 60057, this pair ranks #801,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Erkältung vs Erkältungen
Shared letters: egklnrtuä. Private to "Erkältung": -. Private to "Erkältungen": -.
"Erkältung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Erkältungen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Erkältung" and "Erkältungen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Erkältung" vs "Erkältungen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Erkältung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erkältungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #801,231 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erkältung" and "Erkältungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erkältungen vs Erwartungen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #801,231 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.