ErlassvserlässtWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#11,862
“Erlass” frequency rank
#34,076
“erlässt” frequency rank
45938
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erlass erlässt
Definition Anordnung, Anweisung mit amtlichem Charakter 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erlassen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Erlass and erlässt apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Erlass
7 ch
erlässt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Erlass is [ɛɐ̯ˈlas] while erlässt is [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45938, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erlass is recorded at frequency rank #11,862, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlas]. erlässt is at rank #34,076, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst].

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 45938, this pair ranks #1,336,061 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Erlass vs erlässt

Shared letters: elrs. Private to "Erlass": a. Private to "erlässt": .

"Erlass" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "erlässt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erlasselrass · eralss · erlas · erlaß · erllass · erlsas · errlass · relass

Frequency comparison

Erlass#11,862
erlässt#34,076

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Erlass" and "erlässt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Erlass" is a noun and "erlässt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Erlass" or "erlässt"?
"Erlass" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,862 in our German list, against #34,076 for "erlässt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Erlass vs erlässt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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