Which to use
“erlauben” and “erläutern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,575
- “erlauben” frequency rank
- #10,075
- “erläutern” frequency rank
- 13650
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlauben | erläutern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem die Zustimmung oder die Möglichkeit geben | etwas lehrend umschreiben |
Where the eye mixes erlauben and erläutern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erlauben runs 8 letters (VCCVVCVC) against erläutern's 9 (VCCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between erlauben and erläutern
A purely visual mix-up. erlauben ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩]) and erläutern ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯tɐn]) 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 13650, 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]. erläutern is at rank #10,075, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯tɐn].
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 13650, this pair ranks #1,956,642 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlauben vs erläutern
Shared letters: elnru. Private to "erlauben": ab. Private to "erläutern": tä.
"erlauben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "erläutern" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erlauben ← elrauben · eraluben · erlabuen · erlaubben · erlaubenn · erlaubne · erlauebn · erllauben
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erlauben" and "erläutern" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "erlauben" or "erläutern" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erlauben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erläutern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,956,642 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlauben" and "erläutern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erläutern vs erläuterten". 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 #1,956,642 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.