Which to use
“erkannt” and “erlangt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,711
- “erkannt” frequency rank
- #11,861
- “erlangt” frequency rank
- 14572
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkannt | erlangt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erkennen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erlangen |
Where the eye mixes erkannt and erlangt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erkannt and erlangt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses erkannt with erlangt
A purely visual mix-up. erkannt ([ɛɐ̯ˈkant]) and erlangt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋt]) 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 14572, 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]. erlangt is at rank #11,861, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋt].
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 14572, this pair ranks #1,950,262 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkannt vs erlangt
Shared letters: aenrt. Private to "erkannt": k. Private to "erlangt": gl.
"erkannt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC · "erlangt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erkannt" and "erlangt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "erkannt" or "erlangt"?
After this comparison
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 "erlangt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,950,262 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkannt" and "erlangt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlangt vs erliegt". 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 #1,950,262 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.