erledigenvsErledigungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erledigen is a verb, Erledigung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erledigen” is a verb and “Erledigung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,078
“erledigen” frequency rank
#31,030
“Erledigung” frequency rank
36108
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erledigen Erledigung
Definition etwas fertig machen; zu Ende bringen; eine Arbeit tun, die noch aussteht Vorgang, bei dem eine Arbeit oder Aufgabe zu Ende gebracht wird; Fertigstellung von etwas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erledigen and Erledigung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
erledigen
10 ch
Erledigung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erledigen is [ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩] while Erledigung is [ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36108, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erledigen is recorded at frequency rank #5,078, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩]. Erledigung is at rank #31,030, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡʊŋ].

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 36108, this pair ranks #1,623,706 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erledigen vs Erledigung

Shared letters: degilnr. Private to "erledigen": -. Private to "Erledigung": u.

"erledigen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC  ·  "Erledigung" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erledigenelredigen · ereldigen · erldeigen · erleddigen · erledgien · erlediegn · erledigenn · erlediggen
  • Erledigungelredigung · ereldigung · erldeigung · erleddigung · erledgiung · erlediggung · erledignug · erledigugn

Frequency comparison

erledigen#5,078
Erledigung#31,030

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erledigen" and "Erledigung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erledigen" is a verb and "Erledigung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erledigen" or "Erledigung"?
"erledigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,078 in our German list, against #31,030 for "Erledigung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erledigen vs Erledigung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erledigen”; for a noun, it's “Erledigung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erledigen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list