Which to use
“erlernen” is a verb and “erlernte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,645
- “erlernen” frequency rank
- #27,706
- “erlernte” frequency rank
- 38351
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlernen | erlernte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas begreifen und üben (lernen), meist über längere Zeit hinweg und mit dem Ziel, es zu können/beherrschen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erlernt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erlernen and erlernte apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erlernen is [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁnən] while erlernte is [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁntə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38351, 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]. erlernte is at rank #27,706, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɛʁntə].
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 38351, this pair ranks #1,566,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlernen vs erlernte
Shared letters: elnr. Private to "erlernen": -. Private to "erlernte": t.
"erlernen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erlernte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erlernen" and "erlernte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erlernen" or "erlernte"?
Remembering erlernen vs erlernte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erlernen”; for an adjective, it's “erlernte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erlernen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable