Which to use
“erkennt” and “erlernt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,761
- “erkennt” frequency rank
- #20,573
- “erlernt” frequency rank
- 23334
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkennt | erlernt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erkennen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erlernen |
Where the eye mixes erkennt and erlernt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erkennt and erlernt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses erkennt with erlernt
A purely visual mix-up. erkennt ([ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnt]) and erlernt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnt]) 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 23334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkennt is recorded at frequency rank #2,761, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnt]. erlernt is at rank #20,573, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnt].
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 23334, this pair ranks #1,862,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkennt vs erlernt
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "erkennt": k. Private to "erlernt": l.
"erkennt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC · "erlernt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erkennt" and "erlernt" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "erkennt" vs "erlernt" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erkennt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlernt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,862,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkennt" and "erlernt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlernt vs erzürnt". 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 #1,862,621 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.