Which to use
“erlauben” and “erwarben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,575
- “erlauben” frequency rank
- #45,909
- “erwarben” frequency rank
- 49484
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlauben | erwarben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem die Zustimmung oder die Möglichkeit geben | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erwerben |
Where the eye mixes erlauben and erwarben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erlauben (VCCVVCVC) and erwarben (VCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses erlauben with erwarben
A purely visual mix-up. erlauben ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯bn̩]) and erwarben ([ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁbn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49484, 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]. erwarben is at rank #45,909, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁbn̩].
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 49484, this pair ranks #1,209,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erlauben vs erwarben
Shared letters: abenr. Private to "erlauben": lu. Private to "erwarben": w.
"erlauben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "erwarben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erlauben" and "erwarben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erlauben" or "erwarben"?
After this comparison
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 "erwarben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,209,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlauben" and "erwarben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erhaben 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 #1,209,786 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.