Which to use
“erkunden” and “erkundigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,860
- “erkunden” frequency rank
- #20,572
- “erkundigen” frequency rank
- 32432
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkunden | erkundigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas genauer ansehen/untersuchen und dadurch neues Wissen erwerben | Auskünfte erbitten, (durch gezielte Fragen) Informationen einholen, sich (durch gezielte Fragen) Kenntnisse verschaffen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erkunden and erkundigen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. erkunden ([ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndn̩]) and erkundigen ([ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndɪɡn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32432, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkunden is recorded at frequency rank #11,860, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndn̩]. erkundigen is at rank #20,572, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndɪɡn̩].
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 32432, this pair ranks #1,707,676 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erkunden vs erkundigen
Shared letters: deknru. Private to "erkunden": -. Private to "erkundigen": gi.
"erkunden" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erkundigen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erkunden ← ekrunden · erkkunden · erknuden · erkudnen · erkundden · erkundenn · erkundne · erkunedn
- erkundigen ← ekrundigen · erkkundigen · erknudigen · erkudnigen · erkunddigen · erkundgien · erkundiegn · erkundigenn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erkunden" and "erkundigen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erkunden" or "erkundigen"?
Remembering erkunden vs erkundigen
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 “erkunden” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable