ErkrankungvsErkrankungenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,788
“Erkrankung” frequency rank
#4,980
“Erkrankungen” frequency rank
9768
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erkrankung Erkrankungen
Definition Störung der körperlichen, kognitiven, sozialen und/oder seelischen Funktionen, die die Leistungsfähigkeit oder das Wohlbefinden eines Lebewesens subjektiv oder intersubjektiv deutlich wahrnehmbar negativ beeinflusst oder eine solche Beeinflussung erwarten lässt Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Erkrankung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Erkrankung and Erkrankungen apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
Erkrankung
12 ch
Erkrankungen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Erkrankung ([ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkʊŋ]) and Erkrankungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkʊŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Erkrankung” sits inside “Erkrankungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erkrankung is recorded at frequency rank #4,788, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkʊŋ]. Erkrankungen is at rank #4,980, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkʊŋən].

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 9768, this pair ranks #1,978,389 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erkrankung vs Erkrankungen

Shared letters: aegknru. Private to "Erkrankung": -. Private to "Erkrankungen": -.

"Erkrankung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Erkrankungen" · 12 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erkrankungekrrankung · erkarnkung · erkkrankung · erkraknung · erkrankkung · erkranknug · erkrankugn · erkrankungg
  • Erkrankungenekrrankungen · erkarnkungen · erkkrankungen · erkraknungen · erkrankkungen · erkranknugen · erkrankugnen · erkrankunegn

Frequency comparison

Erkrankung#4,788
Erkrankungen#4,980

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Erkrankung" and "Erkrankungen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈkʁaŋkʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Erkrankung" or "Erkrankungen"?
"Erkrankung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,788 in our German list, against #4,980 for "Erkrankungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Erkrankung vs Erkrankungen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Erkrankung” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list