Which to use
“erklär” is a verb and “erklärte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,077
- “erklär” frequency rank
- #2,245
- “erklärte” frequency rank
- 17322
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erklär | erklärte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erklären | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erklärt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erklär and erklärte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erklär is [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯] while erklärte is [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “erklär” sits inside “erklärte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17322, 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]. erklärte is at rank #2,245, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tə].
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 17322, this pair ranks #1,928,407 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erklär vs erklärte
Shared letters: eklrä. Private to "erklär": -. Private to "erklärte": t.
"erklär" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erklärte" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erklär" and "erklärte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erklär" or "erklärte"?
Remembering erklär vs erklärte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erklär”; for an adjective, it's “erklärte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erklär” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable