Which to use
“erlitten” and “ermitteln” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,014
- “erlitten” frequency rank
- #4,877
- “ermitteln” frequency rank
- 13891
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erlitten | ermitteln |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erleiden | durch Nachforschung etwas herausfinden |
Where the eye mixes erlitten and ermitteln
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between erlitten and ermitteln
A purely visual mix-up. erlitten ([ɛɐ̯ˈlɪtn̩]) and ermitteln ([ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtl̩n]) 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 13891, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erlitten is recorded at frequency rank #9,014, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈlɪtn̩]. ermitteln is at rank #4,877, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈmɪtl̩n].
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 13891, this pair ranks #1,954,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erlitten vs ermitteln
Shared letters: eilnrt. Private to "erlitten": -. Private to "ermitteln": m.
"erlitten" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ermitteln" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erlitten" and "ermitteln" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erlitten" or "ermitteln"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erlitten" and "ermitteln" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erlitten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ermitteln" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,954,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erlitten" and "ermitteln" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erbitten vs erlitten". 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 #1,954,978 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.