Which to use
“ernähre” and “erzähle” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,252
- “ernähre” frequency rank
- #10,851
- “erzähle” frequency rank
- 56103
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernähre | erzähle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ernähren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen |
Where the eye mixes ernähre and erzähle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. ernähre and erzähle follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: ernähre vs erzähle
A purely visual mix-up. ernähre ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁə]) and erzähle ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56103, 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]. erzähle is at rank #10,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə].
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 56103, this pair ranks #953,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ernähre vs erzähle
Shared letters: ehrä. Private to "ernähre": n. Private to "erzähle": lz.
"ernähre" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erzähle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ernähre" for "erzähle" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "ernähre" or "erzähle" show up more?
Useful next steps
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 "erzähle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #953,428 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernähre" and "erzähle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernähre vs erwähne". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #953,428 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.