Which to use
“erlauben” is a verb and “erlaubte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,575
- “erlauben” frequency rank
- #11,644
- “erlaubte” frequency rank
- 15219
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlauben | erlaubte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem die Zustimmung oder die Möglichkeit geben | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erlaubt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erlauben and erlaubte apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erlauben is [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩] while erlaubte is [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯ptə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15219, 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]. erlaubte is at rank #11,644, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯ptə].
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 15219, this pair ranks #1,945,510 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlauben vs erlaubte
Shared letters: abelru. Private to "erlauben": n. Private to "erlaubte": t.
"erlauben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "erlaubte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erlauben" and "erlaubte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erlauben" or "erlaubte"?
Remembering erlauben vs erlaubte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erlauben”; for an adjective, it's “erlaubte”.
- 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