Which to use
“erklang” and “erklär” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,915
- “erklang” frequency rank
- #15,077
- “erklär” frequency rank
- 51992
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erklang | erklär |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erklingen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erklären |
Where the eye mixes erklang and erklär
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: erklang vs erklär
A purely visual mix-up. erklang ([ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ]) and erklär ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯]) 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 51992, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erklang is recorded at frequency rank #36,915, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ]. erklär is at rank #15,077, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯].
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 51992, this pair ranks #1,114,073 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erklang vs erklär
Shared letters: eklr. Private to "erklang": agn. Private to "erklär": ä.
"erklang" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC · "erklär" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erklang ← ekrlang · erkalng · erkklang · erklagn · erklangg · erklanng · erkllang · erklnag
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erklang" and "erklär" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erklang" or "erklär"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erklang" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erklär" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,114,073 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erklang" and "erklär" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erklang vs erklingt". 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 #1,114,073 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.