Which to use
“erkläre” is a verb and “erklärte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,013
- “erkläre” frequency rank
- #2,245
- “erklärte” frequency rank
- 11258
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkläre | erklärte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ 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 erkläre and erklärte apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: erkläre is [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁə] while erklärte is [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkläre is recorded at frequency rank #9,013, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁə]. 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 11258, this pair ranks #1,970,826 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkläre vs erklärte
Shared letters: eklrä. Private to "erkläre": -. Private to "erklärte": t.
"erkläre" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV · "erklärte" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erkläre" and "erklärte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erkläre" or "erklärte"?
Remembering erkläre vs erklärte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erkläre”; for an adjective, it's “erklärte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erkläre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable