Which to use
“erreichen” and “errichten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #826
- “erreichen” frequency rank
- #6,293
- “errichten” frequency rank
- 7119
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erreichen | errichten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zu jemandem oder zu etwas hingelangen | etwas aufbauen, bauen |
Where the eye mixes erreichen and errichten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. erreichen (VCCVVCCVC) and errichten (VCCVCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: erreichen vs errichten
A purely visual mix-up. erreichen ([ɛɐ̯ˈʁaɪ̯çn̩]) and errichten ([ɛɐ̯ˈʁɪçtn̩]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7119, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erreichen is recorded at frequency rank #826, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʁaɪ̯çn̩]. errichten is at rank #6,293, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʁɪçtn̩].
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 7119, this pair ranks #1,989,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erreichen vs errichten
Shared letters: cehinr. Private to "erreichen": -. Private to "errichten": t.
"erreichen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC · "errichten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erreichen" for "errichten" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erreichen" vs "errichten" - which ranks higher?
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 "erreichen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "errichten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,989,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erreichen" and "errichten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "errechnen vs errichten". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,989,312 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.