Which to use
“erkennen” and “erkennst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,054
- “erkennen” frequency rank
- #17,279
- “erkennst” frequency rank
- 18333
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkennen | erkennst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder jemanden so deutlich wahrnehmen, dass man weiß, was oder wer es ist (im Sinne von etwas wiedererkennen) | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erkennen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erkennen and erkennst apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
erkennen and erkennst form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18333, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkennen is recorded at frequency rank #1,054, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən]. 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 18333, this pair ranks #1,919,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erkennen" and "erkennst" be used interchangeably?
Remembering erkennen vs erkennst
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erkennen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable