erlagvsErtragWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erlag is a verb, Ertrag is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erlag” is a verb and “Ertrag” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,326
“erlag” frequency rank
#12,701
“Ertrag” frequency rank
35027
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erlag Ertrag
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erliegen das positive Ergebnis einer Anstrengung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erlag and Ertrag apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
erlag
6 ch
Ertrag

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erlag is [ɛɐ̯ˈlaːk] while Ertrag is [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35027, 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]. Ertrag is at rank #12,701, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːk].

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 35027, this pair ranks #1,649,756 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erlag vs Ertrag

Shared letters: aegr. Private to "erlag": l. Private to "Ertrag": t.

"erlag" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Ertrag" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erlagelrag · eralg · erlagg · erlga · erllag · errlag · relag
  • Ertragerrtag · errtrag · ertarg · ertragg · ertrga · ertrrag · erttrag · etrrag

Frequency comparison

erlag#22,326
Ertrag#12,701

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erlag" and "Ertrag" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erlag" is a verb and "Ertrag" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erlag" or "Ertrag"?
"Ertrag" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,701 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.

Remembering erlag vs Ertrag

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erlag”; for a noun, it's “Ertrag”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erlag” 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