erscheinenvserscheintWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,146
“erscheinen” frequency rank
#1,549
“erscheint” frequency rank
3695
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erscheinen erscheint
Definition für die Augen sichtbar werden 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erscheinen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erscheinen and erscheint apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
erscheinen
9 ch
erscheint

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erscheinen ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃaɪ̯nən]) and erscheint ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃaɪ̯nt]) 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 3695, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erscheinen is recorded at frequency rank #2,146, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃaɪ̯nən]. erscheint is at rank #1,549, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃaɪ̯nt].

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 3695, this pair ranks #1,999,608 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erscheinen vs erscheint

Shared letters: cehinrs. Private to "erscheinen": -. Private to "erscheint": t.

"erscheinen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVVCVC  ·  "erscheint" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erscheinenercsheinen · errscheinen · ersccheinen · erscehinen · erscheienn · erscheinenn · erscheinne · erscheinnen
  • erscheintercsheint · errscheint · ersccheint · erscehint · erscheinnt · erscheintt · erscheitn · erschenit

Frequency comparison

erscheinen#2,146
erscheint#1,549

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erscheinen" and "erscheint" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃaɪ̯nən] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈʃaɪ̯nt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erscheinen" or "erscheint"?
"erscheint" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,549 in our German list, against #2,146 for "erscheinen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erscheinen vs erscheint

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 “erscheinen” 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