Which to use
“ernähren” and “ernährt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,910
- “ernähren” frequency rank
- #14,057
- “ernährt” frequency rank
- 21967
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernähren | ernährt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | regelmäßig für Nahrung sorgen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ernähren |
Where the eye mixes ernähren and ernährt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ernähren runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against ernährt's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ernähren vs ernährt
A purely visual mix-up. ernähren ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21967, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ernähren is recorded at frequency rank #7,910, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁən]. 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 21967, this pair ranks #1,879,991 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ernähren vs ernährt
Shared letters: ehnrä. Private to "ernähren": -. Private to "ernährt": t.
"ernähren" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ernährt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ernähren" and "ernährt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "ernähren" or "ernährt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ernähren" 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 #1,879,991 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernähren" and "ernährt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernähre vs ernährt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,879,991 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.