erklangvserklärtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“erklang” and “erklärt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#36,915
“erklang” frequency rank
#760
“erklärt” frequency rank
37675
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erklang erklärt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erklingen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erklären

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erklang and erklärt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
erklang
7 ch
erklärt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erklang ([ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ]) and erklärt ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯t]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37675, 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]. erklärt is at rank #760, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯t].

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 37675, this pair ranks #1,583,989 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erklang vs erklärt

Shared letters: eklr. Private to "erklang": agn. Private to "erklärt": .

"erklang" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC  ·  "erklärt" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erklangekrlang · erkalng · erkklang · erklagn · erklangg · erklanng · erkllang · erklnag

Frequency comparison

erklang#36,915
erklärt#760

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erklang" and "erklärt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erklang" or "erklärt"?
"erklärt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #760 in our German list, against #36,915 for "erklang". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering erklang vs erklärt

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 “erklang” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list