Which to use
“ernähre” and “ernährt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,252
- “ernähre” frequency rank
- #14,057
- “ernährt” frequency rank
- 59309
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernähre | ernährt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ernähren | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ernähren |
Where the eye mixes ernähre and ernährt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ernähre (VCCVCCV) and ernährt (VCCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ernähre with ernährt
A purely visual mix-up. ernähre ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁə]) and ernährt ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t]) 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 a single letter - e in “ernähre” becomes t in “ernährt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59309, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ernähre is recorded at frequency rank #45,252, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁə]. ernährt is at rank #14,057, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t].
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 59309, this pair ranks #829,335 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ernähre vs ernährt
Shared letters: ehnrä. Private to "ernähre": -. Private to "ernährt": t.
"ernähre" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "ernährt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ernähre" and "ernährt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ernähre" or "ernährt"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ernähre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ernährt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #829,335 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernähre" and "ernährt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernähre vs erwähne". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #829,335 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.