Which to use
“erklärten” is an adjective and “erwarten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,269
- “erklärten” frequency rank
- #1,127
- “erwarten” frequency rank
- 11396
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erklärten | erwarten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erklärt | auf jemanden oder etwas warten, dem Eintreffen von etwas entgegensehen; denken, dass etwas kommen oder passieren wird |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erklärten and erwarten apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: erklärten is [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tn̩] while erwarten is [ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtn̩]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11396, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erklärten is recorded at frequency rank #10,269, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈklɛːɐ̯tn̩]. erwarten is at rank #1,127, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtn̩].
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 11396, this pair ranks #1,970,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erklärten vs erwarten
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "erklärten": klä. Private to "erwarten": aw.
"erklärten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "erwarten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erwarten ← erawrten · errwarten · erwaretn · erwarrten · erwartenn · erwartne · erwartten · erwatren
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erklärten" and "erwarten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erklärten" or "erwarten"?
Remembering erklärten vs erwarten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “erklärten”; for a verb, it's “erwarten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erklärten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable