Which to use
“erklär” and “erlag” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,077
- “erklär” frequency rank
- #22,326
- “erlag” frequency rank
- 37403
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erklär | erlag |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erklären | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erliegen |
Where the eye mixes erklär and erlag
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between erklär and erlag
A purely visual mix-up. erklär ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯]) and erlag ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaːk]) 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 37403, 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]. erlag is at rank #22,326, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaːk].
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 37403, this pair ranks #1,591,190 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erklär vs erlag
Shared letters: elr. Private to "erklär": kä. Private to "erlag": ag.
"erklär" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erlag" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erlag ← elrag · eralg · erlagg · erlga · erllag · errlag · relag
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erklär" for "erlag" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "erklär" or "erlag" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erklär" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlag" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,591,190 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erklär" and "erlag" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlag vs Erle". 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 #1,591,190 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.