Which to use
“erkranken” and “ertrinken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,895
- “erkranken” frequency rank
- #13,816
- “ertrinken” frequency rank
- 33711
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkranken | ertrinken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | krank werden; eine Krankheit bekommen | im Wasser untergehen und dadurch zu Tode kommen |
Where the eye mixes erkranken and ertrinken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erkranken and ertrinken follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses erkranken with ertrinken
A purely visual mix-up. erkranken ([ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkn̩]) and ertrinken ([ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33711, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkranken is recorded at frequency rank #19,895, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkn̩]. ertrinken is at rank #13,816, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkn̩].
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 33711, this pair ranks #1,679,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkranken vs ertrinken
Shared letters: eknr. Private to "erkranken": a. Private to "ertrinken": it.
"erkranken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "ertrinken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erkranken" for "ertrinken" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erkranken" or "ertrinken"?
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 "erkranken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ertrinken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,679,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erkranken" and "ertrinken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erkranken vs ertränken". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,679,750 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.