Which to use
“ersetzen” is a verb and “ersetzte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,438
- “ersetzen” frequency rank
- #24,702
- “ersetzte” frequency rank
- 28140
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ersetzen | ersetzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas entfernen und an dieselbe Stelle etwas anderes setzen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ersetzt |
Where the eye mixes ersetzen and ersetzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. ersetzen (VCCVCCVC) and ersetzte (VCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ersetzen with ersetzte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ersetzen is [ɛɐ̯ˈzɛt͡sn̩] while ersetzte is [ɛɐ̯ˈzɛt͡stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ersetzen is recorded at frequency rank #3,438, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈzɛt͡sn̩]. ersetzte is at rank #24,702, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈzɛt͡stə].
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 28140, this pair ranks #1,789,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ersetzen vs ersetzte
Shared letters: erstz. Private to "ersetzen": n. Private to "ersetzte": -.
"ersetzen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "ersetzte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ersetzen" and "ersetzte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "ersetzen" or "ersetzte" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ersetzen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ersetzte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,789,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ersetzen" and "ersetzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ersetzte vs ersetzten". 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 #1,789,863 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.