erlauben vs erlaubt, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#3,575
“erlauben” frequency rank: #1,590
“erlaubt” frequency rank: 5165
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	erlauben	erlaubt
Definition	jemandem die Zustimmung oder die Möglichkeit geben	Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erlauben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erlauben and erlaubt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch

erlauben

7 ch

erlaubt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erlauben ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erlauben is recorded at frequency rank #3,575, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩]. 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 5165, this pair ranks #1,995,607 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erlauben vs erlaubt

Shared letters: abelru. Private to "erlauben": n. Private to "erlaubt": t.

"erlauben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "erlaubt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

erlauben ← elrauben · eraluben · erlabuen · erlaubben · erlaubenn · erlaubne · erlauebn · erllauben
erlaubt ← elraubt · eralubt · erlabut · erlaubbt · erlaubtt · erlautb · erllaubt · erluabt

Frequency comparison

erlauben#3,575

erlaubt#1,590

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erlauben" and "erlaubt" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯pt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "erlauben" or "erlaubt"?

"erlaubt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,590 in our German list, against #3,575 for "erlauben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erlauben vs erlaubt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erlauben” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable