ernährtvserwähntWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,057
“ernährt” frequency rank
#1,288
“erwähnt” frequency rank
15345
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ernährt erwähnt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs ernähren Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erwähnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ernährt and erwähnt apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
ernährt
7 ch
erwähnt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ernährt ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t]) and erwähnt ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnt]) 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 15345, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ernährt is recorded at frequency rank #14,057, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t]. erwähnt is at rank #1,288, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnt].

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 15345, this pair ranks #1,944,600 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ernährt vs erwähnt

Shared letters: ehnrtä. Private to "ernährt": -. Private to "erwähnt": w.

"ernährt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "erwähnt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

ernährt#14,057
erwähnt#1,288

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ernährt" and "erwähnt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːɐ̯t] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ernährt" or "erwähnt"?
"erwähnt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,288 in our German list, against #14,057 for "ernährt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering ernährt vs erwähnt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ernährt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list