Which to use
“erkundigen” is a verb and “erkundigte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,572
- “erkundigen” frequency rank
- #41,144
- “erkundigte” frequency rank
- 61716
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erkundigen | erkundigte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Auskünfte erbitten, (durch gezielte Fragen) Informationen einholen, sich (durch gezielte Fragen) Kenntnisse verschaffen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erkundigt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erkundigen and erkundigte apart are highlighted. They share 9 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: erkundigen is [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndɪɡn̩] while erkundigte is [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndɪçtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61716, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erkundigen is recorded at frequency rank #20,572, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndɪɡn̩]. erkundigte is at rank #41,144, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈkʊndɪçtə].
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 61716, this pair ranks #739,299 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erkundigen vs erkundigte
Shared letters: degiknru. Private to "erkundigen": -. Private to "erkundigte": t.
"erkundigen" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCVC · "erkundigte" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- erkundigen ← ekrundigen · erkkundigen · erknudigen · erkudnigen · erkunddigen · erkundgien · erkundiegn · erkundigenn
- erkundigte ← ekrundigte · erkkundigte · erknudigte · erkudnigte · erkunddigte · erkundgite · erkundiget · erkundiggte
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erkundigen" and "erkundigte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erkundigen" or "erkundigte"?
Remembering erkundigen vs erkundigte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erkundigen”; for an adjective, it's “erkundigte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erkundigen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable