Which to use
“erkläre” is a verb and “erklärtes” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,013
- “erkläre” frequency rank
- #48,115
- “erklärtes” frequency rank
- 57128
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkläre | erklärtes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erklären | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erklärt |
Where the eye mixes erkläre and erklärtes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erkläre runs 7 letters (VCCCVCV) against erklärtes's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erkläre vs erklärtes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erkläre is [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːʁə] while erklärtes is [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯təs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 57128, 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]. erklärtes is at rank #48,115, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯təs].
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 57128, this pair ranks #913,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erkläre vs erklärtes
Shared letters: eklrä. Private to "erkläre": -. Private to "erklärtes": st.
"erkläre" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV · "erklärtes" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erkläre" for "erklärtes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erkläre" or "erklärtes"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erkläre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erklärtes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #913,378 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkläre" and "erklärtes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erklärtes vs Erspartes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #913,378 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.