erschienvserschienenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,591
“erschien” frequency rank
#2,443
“erschienen” frequency rank
5034
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erschien erschienen
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erscheinen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erscheinen

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
erschien
10 ch
erschienen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

erschien and erschienen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “erschien” sits inside “erschienen” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5034, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erschien is recorded at frequency rank #2,591, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃiːn]. erschienen is at rank #2,443, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃiːnən].

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 5034, this pair ranks #1,995,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

erschien#2,591
erschienen#2,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erschien" and "erschienen" be used interchangeably?
No, "erschien" and "erschienen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering erschien vs erschienen

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 “erschien” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list