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 eye mixes erstatten and erstattete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. erstatten runs 9 letters (VCCCVCCVC) against erstattete's 10 (VCCCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erstatten with erstattete
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
- erstatten ← errstatten · ersattten · ersstatten · erstaten · erstatetn · erstattenn · erstattne · ersttaten
- erstattete ← errstattete · ersatttete · ersstattete · erstatete · erstatette · erstatteet · erstattette · erstatttee
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erstatten" and "erstattete" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erstatten" or "erstattete"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erstatten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erstattete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,006,661 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erstatten" and "erstattete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erstarren vs erstatten". 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 #1,006,661 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.