erlagvserlangtConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#22,326
“erlag” frequency rank
#11,861
“erlangt” frequency rank
34187
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erlag erlangt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erliegen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erlangen

Where the eye mixes erlag and erlangt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erlag runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against erlangt's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
erlag
7 ch
erlangt

Why the eye confuses erlag with erlangt

A purely visual mix-up. erlag ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaːk]) and erlangt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋt]) 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 34187, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erlag is recorded at frequency rank #22,326, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaːk]. erlangt is at rank #11,861, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋt].

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 34187, this pair ranks #1,669,117 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erlag vs erlangt

Shared letters: aeglr. Private to "erlag": -. Private to "erlangt": nt.

"erlag" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "erlangt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erlag ← elrag · eralg · erlagg · erlga · erllag · errlag · relag
  • erlangt ← elrangt · eralngt · erlagnt · erlanggt · erlangtt · erlanngt · erlantg · erllangt

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "erlag" and "erlangt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaːk] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erlag" or "erlangt"?
"erlangt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,861 in our German list, against #22,326 for "erlag". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "erlag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erlangt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,669,117 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erlag" and "erlangt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlag vs Erle". 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 #1,669,117 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list