ErlösvsErlöseWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#17,874
“Erlös” frequency rank
#20,574
“Erlöse” frequency rank
38448
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erlös Erlöse
Definition Geld aus dem Verkauf von etwas Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Erlös

Where the eye mixes Erlös and Erlöse

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Erlös runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against Erlöse's 6 (VCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Erlös
6 ch
Erlöse

Visual trap between Erlös and Erlöse

A purely visual mix-up. Erlös ([ɛɐ̯ˈløːs]) and Erlöse ([ɛɐ̯ˈløːzə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Erlös” sits inside “Erlöse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38448, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erlös is recorded at frequency rank #17,874, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈløːs]. Erlöse is at rank #20,574, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈløːzə].

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 38448, this pair ranks #1,563,696 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erlös vs Erlöse

Shared letters: elrsö. Private to "Erlös": -. Private to "Erlöse": -.

"Erlös" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "Erlöse" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Erlös" and "Erlöse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈløːs] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈløːzə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Erlös" vs "Erlöse" - which ranks higher?
"Erlös" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,874 in our German list, against #20,574 for "Erlöse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Erlös" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erlöse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,563,696 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Erlös" and "Erlöse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erle vs Erlöse". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,563,696 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list