erstattenvserstatteteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erstatten is a verb, erstattete is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erstatten” is a verb and “erstattete” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,276
“erstatten” frequency rank
#42,471
“erstattete” frequency rank
54747
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erstatten erstattete
Definition jemandem Geld zurückgeben, das er für etwas ausgegeben hat Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erstattet

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
erstatten
10 ch
erstattete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erstatten is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtatn̩] while erstattete is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtatətə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54747, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erstatten is recorded at frequency rank #12,276, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtatn̩]. erstattete is at rank #42,471, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtatətə].

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 54747, this pair ranks #1,006,661 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erstatten vs erstattete

Shared letters: aerst. Private to "erstatten": n. Private to "erstattete": -.

"erstatten" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "erstattete" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erstattenerrstatten · ersattten · ersstatten · erstaten · erstatetn · erstattenn · erstattne · ersttaten
  • erstatteteerrstattete · ersatttete · ersstattete · erstatete · erstatette · erstatteet · erstattette · erstatttee

Frequency comparison

erstatten#12,276
erstattete#42,471

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erstatten" and "erstattete" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erstatten" is a verb and "erstattete" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erstatten" or "erstattete"?
"erstatten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,276 in our German list, against #42,471 for "erstattete". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erstatten vs erstattete

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erstatten”; for an adjective, it's “erstattete”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erstatten” 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