Which to use
“erlangen” is a verb and “erlangten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,885
- “erlangen” frequency rank
- #28,638
- “erlangten” frequency rank
- 32523
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlangen | erlangten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Besitz nehmen, habhaft werden, erreichen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erlangt |
Where the eye mixes erlangen and erlangten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. erlangen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against erlangten's 9 (VCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erlangen with erlangten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erlangen is [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋən] while erlangten is [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋtn̩]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32523, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erlangen is recorded at frequency rank #3,885, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋən]. erlangten is at rank #28,638, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaŋtn̩].
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 32523, this pair ranks #1,705,774 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlangen vs erlangten
Shared letters: aeglnr. Private to "erlangen": -. Private to "erlangten": t.
"erlangen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erlangten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erlangen" and "erlangten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "erlangen" vs "erlangten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erlangen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlangten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,705,774 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlangen" and "erlangten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhängen vs erlangten". 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 #1,705,774 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.