Which to use
“erkenne” and “erkennst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,012
- “erkenne” frequency rank
- #17,279
- “erkennst” frequency rank
- 26291
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkenne | erkennst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erkennen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erkennen |
Where the eye mixes erkenne and erkennst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erkenne runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against erkennst's 8 (VCCVCCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erkenne vs erkennst
A purely visual mix-up. erkenne ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnə]) and erkennst ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnst]) 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 26291, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkenne is recorded at frequency rank #9,012, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnə]. erkennst is at rank #17,279, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnst].
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 26291, this pair ranks #1,820,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkenne vs erkennst
Shared letters: eknr. Private to "erkenne": -. Private to "erkennst": st.
"erkenne" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erkennst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erkenne" for "erkennst" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erkenne" vs "erkennst" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erkenne" and "erkennst" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erkenne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erkennst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,820,340 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkenne" and "erkennst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erkennst 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 #1,820,340 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.