Which to use
“erklärte” and “erklärten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,245
- “erklärte” frequency rank
- #10,269
- “erklärten” frequency rank
- 12514
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erklärte | erklärten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erklärt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erklärt |
Where the eye mixes erklärte and erklärten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. erklärte runs 8 letters (VCCCVCCV) against erklärten's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between erklärte and erklärten
A purely visual mix-up. erklärte ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tə]) and erklärten ([ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “erklärte” sits inside “erklärten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12514, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erklärte is recorded at frequency rank #2,245, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tə]. erklärten is at rank #10,269, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tn̩].
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 12514, this pair ranks #1,963,725 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erklärte vs erklärten
Shared letters: eklrtä. Private to "erklärte": -. Private to "erklärten": n.
"erklärte" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCV · "erklärten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erklärte" and "erklärten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erklärte" or "erklärten"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erklärte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erklärten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,963,725 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erklärte" and "erklärten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erklärten vs erklärtes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,963,725 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.