Which to use
“erklär” and “erklären” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,077
- “erklär” frequency rank
- #925
- “erklären” frequency rank
- 16002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erklär | erklären |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erklären | jemandem etwas lehrend beschreiben, erläutern, verlautbaren; auf eine Ursache zurückführen |
Where the eye mixes erklär and erklären
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erklär runs 6 letters (VCCCVC) against erklären's 8 (VCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erklär vs erklären
A purely visual mix-up. erklär ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯]) and erklären ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “erklär” sits inside “erklären”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erklär is recorded at frequency rank #15,077, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯]. erklären is at rank #925, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁən].
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 16002, this pair ranks #1,939,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erklär vs erklären
Shared letters: eklrä. Private to "erklär": -. Private to "erklären": n.
"erklär" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erklären" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erklär" for "erklären" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erklär" or "erklären"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erklär" and "erklären" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erklär" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erklären" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,939,427 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erklär" and "erklären" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erklang vs erklär". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,939,427 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.