Which to use
“erlaube” and “erlauben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,693
- “erlaube” frequency rank
- #3,575
- “erlauben” frequency rank
- 20268
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlaube | erlauben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erlauben | jemandem die Zustimmung oder die Möglichkeit geben |
Where the eye mixes erlaube and erlauben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erlaube runs 7 letters (VCCVVCV) against erlauben's 8 (VCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erlaube vs erlauben
A purely visual mix-up. erlaube ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bə]) and erlauben ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “erlaube” sits inside “erlauben”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20268, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erlaube is recorded at frequency rank #16,693, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bə]. erlauben is at rank #3,575, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩].
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 20268, this pair ranks #1,899,523 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlaube vs erlauben
Shared letters: abelru. Private to "erlaube": -. Private to "erlauben": n.
"erlaube" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "erlauben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erlaube" and "erlauben" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "erlaube" vs "erlauben" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erlaube" and "erlauben" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erlaube" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlauben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,899,523 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlaube" and "erlauben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlauben vs erwarben". 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 #1,899,523 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.