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 eye mixes erkennen and erkennst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erkennen (VCCVCCVC) and erkennst (VCCVCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses erkennen with erkennst
A purely visual mix-up. erkennen ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. 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.
Orthographic DNA of erkennen vs erkennst
Shared letters: eknr. Private to "erkennen": -. Private to "erkennst": st.
"erkennen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erkennst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erkennen" for "erkennst" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erkennen" vs "erkennst" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erkennen" 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 #1,919,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkennen" 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 #1,919,248 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.