Which to use
“Ernährung” and “Erzählung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,244
- “Ernährung” frequency rank
- #6,180
- “Erzählung” frequency rank
- 9424
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ernährung | Erzählung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Zufuhr von Nahrung | Darstellung eines Ereignisses, Vorkommnisses |
Where the eye mixes Ernährung and Erzählung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Ernährung and Erzählung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Ernährung vs Erzählung
A purely visual mix-up. Ernährung ([ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁʊŋ]) and Erzählung ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ]) 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 9424, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ernährung is recorded at frequency rank #3,244, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈnɛːʁʊŋ]. Erzählung is at rank #6,180, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ].
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 9424, this pair ranks #1,980,001 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ernährung vs Erzählung
Shared letters: eghnruä. Private to "Ernährung": -. Private to "Erzählung": lz.
"Ernährung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Erzählung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ernährung" for "Erzählung" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Ernährung" or "Erzählung"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ernährung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erzählung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,980,001 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ernährung" and "Erzählung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Einzahlung vs Erzählung". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,980,001 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.