Which to use
“erlaube” and “erlaubt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,693
- “erlaube” frequency rank
- #1,590
- “erlaubt” frequency rank
- 18283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlaube | erlaubt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erlauben | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erlauben |
Where the eye mixes erlaube and erlaubt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erlaube (VCCVVCV) and erlaubt (VCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: erlaube vs erlaubt
A purely visual mix-up. erlaube ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bə]) and erlaubt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯pt]) 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 a single letter - e in “erlaube” becomes t in “erlaubt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18283, 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]. erlaubt is at rank #1,590, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯pt].
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 18283, this pair ranks #1,919,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlaube vs erlaubt
Shared letters: abelru. Private to "erlaube": -. Private to "erlaubt": t.
"erlaube" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV · "erlaubt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erlaube" and "erlaubt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "erlaube" or "erlaubt"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erlaube" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlaubt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,919,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlaube" and "erlaubt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erbaute vs erlaube". 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 #1,919,698 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.