Which to use
“erstaunen” is a verb and “erstaunt” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,240
- “erstaunen” frequency rank
- #7,463
- “erstaunt” frequency rank
- 28703
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erstaunen | erstaunt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ins Staunen kommen | über etwas staunend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erstaunen and erstaunt apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erstaunen is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nən] while erstaunt is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nt]. 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 28703, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erstaunen is recorded at frequency rank #21,240, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nən]. erstaunt is at rank #7,463, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nt].
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 28703, this pair ranks #1,780,065 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erstaunen vs erstaunt
Shared letters: aenrstu. Private to "erstaunen": -. Private to "erstaunt": -.
"erstaunen" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVVCVC · "erstaunt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erstaunen" and "erstaunt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erstaunen" or "erstaunt"?
Remembering erstaunen vs erstaunt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erstaunen”; for an adjective, it's “erstaunt”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erstaunen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable