erklärstvserlässtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“erklärst” and “erlässt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,390
“erklärst” frequency rank
#34,076
“erlässt” frequency rank
60466
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erklärst erlässt
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erklären 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erlassen

Where the eye mixes erklärst and erlässt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erklärst runs 8 letters (VCCCVCCC) against erlässt's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
erklärst
7 ch
erlässt

Why the eye confuses erklärst with erlässt

A purely visual mix-up. erklärst ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯st]) and erlässt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst]) 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 60466, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erklärst is recorded at frequency rank #26,390, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯st]. erlässt is at rank #34,076, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst].

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 60466, this pair ranks #785,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erklärst vs erlässt

Shared letters: elrstä. Private to "erklärst": k. Private to "erlässt": -.

"erklärst" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC  ·  "erlässt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "erklärst" and "erlässt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯st] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "erklärst" vs "erlässt" - which ranks higher?
"erklärst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,390 in our German list, against #34,076 for "erlässt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "erklärst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erlässt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #785,928 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erklärst" and "erlässt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlässt vs erlebst". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #785,928 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list