Which to use
“erlaubt” and “erlebt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,590
- “erlaubt” frequency rank
- #1,879
- “erlebt” frequency rank
- 3469
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlaubt | erlebt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erlauben | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erleben |
Where the eye mixes erlaubt and erlebt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erlaubt runs 7 letters (VCCVVCC) against erlebt's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erlaubt vs erlebt
A purely visual mix-up. erlaubt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯pt]) and erlebt ([ɛɐ̯ˈleːpt]) 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 3469, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erlaubt is recorded at frequency rank #1,590, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯pt]. erlebt is at rank #1,879, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈleːpt].
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 3469, this pair ranks #2,000,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlaubt vs erlebt
Shared letters: belrt. Private to "erlaubt": au. Private to "erlebt": -.
"erlaubt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC · "erlebt" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erlaubt" and "erlebt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "erlaubt" vs "erlebt" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erlaubt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlebt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,000,147 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlaubt" and "erlebt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erle vs erlebt". 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 #2,000,147 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.