Which to use
“erkennen” is a verb and “Erkennung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,054
- “erkennen” frequency rank
- #16,407
- “Erkennung” frequency rank
- 17461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkennen | Erkennung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder jemanden so deutlich wahrnehmen, dass man weiß, was oder wer es ist (im Sinne von etwas wiedererkennen) | das Erkennen einer Sache, eines Sachverhaltes |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erkennen and Erkennung apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erkennen is [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən] while Erkennung is [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17461, 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]. Erkennung is at rank #16,407, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnʊŋ].
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 17461, this pair ranks #1,927,191 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkennen vs Erkennung
Shared letters: eknr. Private to "erkennen": -. Private to "Erkennung": gu.
"erkennen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "Erkennung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erkennen" and "Erkennung" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erkennen" or "Erkennung"?
Remembering erkennen vs Erkennung
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erkennen”; for a noun, it's “Erkennung”.
- 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