erlässtvserlebstTell them apart

Which to use

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

#34,076
“erlässt” frequency rank
#37,499
“erlebst” frequency rank
71575
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erlässt erlebst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erlassen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erleben

Where the eye mixes erlässt and erlebst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erlässt and erlebst follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
erlässt
7 ch
erlebst

Visual trap between erlässt and erlebst

A purely visual mix-up. erlässt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst]) and erlebst ([ɛɐ̯ˈleːpst]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71575, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erlässt is recorded at frequency rank #34,076, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst]. erlebst is at rank #37,499, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈleːpst].

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 71575, this pair ranks #412,855 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of erlässt vs erlebst

Shared letters: elrst. Private to "erlässt": ä. Private to "erlebst": b.

"erlässt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "erlebst" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erlebst ← elrebst · erelbst · erlbest · erlebbst · erlebsst · erlebstt · erlebts · erlesbt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erlässt" and "erlebst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɛst] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈleːpst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erlässt" or "erlebst"?
"erlässt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,076 in our German list, against #37,499 for "erlebst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "erlässt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "erlebst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #412,855 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erlässt" and "erlebst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlebst vs erlegt". 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 #412,855 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