Which to use
“erkenne” and “ernennen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,012
- “erkenne” frequency rank
- #25,535
- “ernennen” frequency rank
- 34547
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkenne | ernennen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erkennen | jemandem ein Amt übergeben |
Where the eye mixes erkenne and ernennen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erkenne runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against ernennen's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erkenne vs ernennen
A purely visual mix-up. erkenne ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnə]) and ernennen ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛnən]) 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 34547, 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]. ernennen is at rank #25,535, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛnən].
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 34547, this pair ranks #1,660,807 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkenne vs ernennen
Shared letters: enr. Private to "erkenne": k. Private to "ernennen": -.
"erkenne" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "ernennen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erkenne" for "ernennen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erkenne" or "ernennen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "erkenne" and "ernennen" 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 "ernennen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,660,807 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkenne" and "ernennen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernennen 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 #1,660,807 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.