erleidenvserlernenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“erleiden” and “erlernen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#15,345
“erleiden” frequency rank
#10,645
“erlernen” frequency rank
25990
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erleiden erlernen
Definition etwas körperlich oder seelisch Unangenehmes erleben; eine unangenehme Erfahrung machen etwas begreifen und üben (lernen), meist über längere Zeit hinweg und mit dem Ziel, es zu können/beherrschen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erleiden and erlernen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
erleiden
8 ch
erlernen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erleiden ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaɪ̯dn̩]) and erlernen ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnən]) 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 25990, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erleiden is recorded at frequency rank #15,345, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlaɪ̯dn̩]. erlernen is at rank #10,645, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnən].

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 25990, this pair ranks #1,824,911 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erleiden vs erlernen

Shared letters: elnr. Private to "erleiden": di. Private to "erlernen": -.

"erleiden" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC  ·  "erlernen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erleidenelreiden · ereliden · erledien · erleidden · erleidenn · erleidne · erleiedn · erlieden
  • erlernenelrernen · erelrnen · erlenren · erlerenn · erlernenn · erlernne · erlernnen · erlerrnen

Frequency comparison

erleiden#15,345
erlernen#10,645

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erleiden" and "erlernen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈlaɪ̯dn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erleiden" or "erlernen"?
"erlernen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,645 in our German list, against #15,345 for "erleiden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erleiden vs erlernen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erleiden” 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