erklangvserklingtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#36,915
“erklang” frequency rank
#26,389
“erklingt” frequency rank
63304
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erklang erklingt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erklingen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erklingen

Where the eye mixes erklang and erklingt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erklang runs 7 letters (VCCCVCC) against erklingt's 8 (VCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
erklang
8 ch
erklingt

Why the eye confuses erklang with erklingt

A purely visual mix-up. erklang ([ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ]) and erklingt ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɪŋt]) 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 63304, 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]. erklingt is at rank #26,389, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɪŋt].

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 63304, this pair ranks #681,546 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erklang vs erklingt

Shared letters: egklnr. Private to "erklang": a. Private to "erklingt": it.

"erklang" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC  ·  "erklingt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erklangekrlang · erkalng · erkklang · erklagn · erklangg · erklanng · erkllang · erklnag
  • erklingtekrlingt · erkilngt · erkklingt · erklignt · erklinggt · erklingtt · erklinngt · erklintg

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "erklang" for "erklingt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈklaŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈklɪŋt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "erklang" vs "erklingt" - which ranks higher?
"erklingt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,389 in our German list, against #36,915 for "erklang". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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 "erklingt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #681,546 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erklang" and "erklingt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erklingt vs erliegt". 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 #681,546 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list