Which to use
“erlernen” and “erlernt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,645
- “erlernen” frequency rank
- #20,573
- “erlernt” frequency rank
- 31218
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlernen | erlernt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas begreifen und üben (lernen), meist über längere Zeit hinweg und mit dem Ziel, es zu können/beherrschen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erlernen |
Where the eye mixes erlernen and erlernt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erlernen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against erlernt's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erlernen with erlernt
A purely visual mix-up. erlernen ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnən]) and erlernt ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnt]) 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 31218, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erlernen is recorded at frequency rank #10,645, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnən]. erlernt is at rank #20,573, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnt].
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 31218, this pair ranks #1,732,487 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlernen vs erlernt
Shared letters: elnr. Private to "erlernen": -. Private to "erlernt": t.
"erlernen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erlernt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erlernen" for "erlernt" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erlernen" or "erlernt"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erlernen" and "erlernt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erlernen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erlernt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,732,487 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlernen" and "erlernt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erlernt vs erzürnt". 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 #1,732,487 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.