Which to use
“erkannt” and “erkenne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,711
- “erkannt” frequency rank
- #9,012
- “erkenne” frequency rank
- 11723
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkannt | erkenne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erkennen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erkennen |
Where the eye mixes erkannt and erkenne
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erkannt (VCCVCCC) and erkenne (VCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between erkannt and erkenne
A purely visual mix-up. erkannt ([ɛɐ̯ˈkant]) and erkenne ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnə]) 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 11723, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkannt is recorded at frequency rank #2,711, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkant]. erkenne is at rank #9,012, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnə].
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 11723, this pair ranks #1,968,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkannt vs erkenne
Shared letters: eknr. Private to "erkannt": at. Private to "erkenne": -.
"erkannt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC · "erkenne" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erkannt" and "erkenne" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "erkannt" or "erkenne" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erkannt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erkenne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,968,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkannt" and "erkenne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erkenne vs ernennt". 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 #1,968,286 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.