Which to use
“errungen” and “erzwungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,559
- “errungen” frequency rank
- #29,566
- “erzwungen” frequency rank
- 49125
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | errungen | erzwungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erringen | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erzwingen |
Where the eye mixes errungen and erzwungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. errungen runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against erzwungen's 9 (VCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses errungen with erzwungen
A purely visual mix-up. errungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈʁʊŋən]) and erzwungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡svʊŋən]) 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 49125, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
errungen is recorded at frequency rank #19,559, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʁʊŋən]. erzwungen is at rank #29,566, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡svʊŋən].
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 49125, this pair ranks #1,223,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of errungen vs erzwungen
Shared letters: egnru. Private to "errungen": -. Private to "erzwungen": wz.
"errungen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erzwungen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "errungen" for "erzwungen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "errungen" vs "erzwungen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "errungen" and "erzwungen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "errungen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzwungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,223,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "errungen" and "erzwungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erzwungen vs erzwungenen". 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 #1,223,238 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.