erstandenvserstattenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,632
“erstanden” frequency rank
#12,276
“erstatten” frequency rank
46908
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erstanden erstatten
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs erstehen jemandem Geld zurückgeben, das er für etwas ausgegeben hat

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erstanden and erstatten apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
erstanden
9 ch
erstatten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erstanden ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtandn̩]) and erstatten ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtatn̩]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46908, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erstanden is recorded at frequency rank #34,632, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtandn̩]. erstatten is at rank #12,276, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtatn̩].

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 46908, this pair ranks #1,302,841 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erstanden vs erstatten

Shared letters: aenrst. Private to "erstanden": d. Private to "erstatten": -.

"erstanden" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "erstatten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erstandenerrstanden · ersatnden · ersstanden · erstadnen · erstandden · erstandenn · erstandne · erstanedn
  • erstattenerrstatten · ersattten · ersstatten · erstaten · erstatetn · erstattenn · erstattne · ersttaten

Frequency comparison

erstanden#34,632
erstatten#12,276

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erstanden" and "erstatten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtandn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtatn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erstanden" or "erstatten"?
"erstatten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,276 in our German list, against #34,632 for "erstanden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erstanden vs erstatten

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 “erstanden” 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