erstickenvsersticktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,348
“ersticken” frequency rank
#15,349
“erstickt” frequency rank
30697
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ersticken erstickt
Definition durch fehlende Sauerstoffzufuhr sterben 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ersticken

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
ersticken
8 ch
erstickt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ersticken ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkn̩]) and erstickt ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30697, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ersticken is recorded at frequency rank #15,348, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkn̩]. erstickt is at rank #15,349, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkt].

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 30697, this pair ranks #1,742,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ersticken vs erstickt

Shared letters: ceikrst. Private to "ersticken": n. Private to "erstickt": -.

"ersticken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "erstickt" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erstickenerrsticken · ersitcken · erssticken · erstciken · ersticcken · ersticekn · erstickenn · erstickken
  • erstickterrstickt · ersitckt · ersstickt · erstcikt · ersticckt · erstickkt · ersticktt · erstictk

Frequency comparison

ersticken#15,348
erstickt#15,349

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ersticken" and "erstickt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ersticken" or "erstickt"?
"ersticken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,348 in our German list, against #15,349 for "erstickt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ersticken vs erstickt

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 “ersticken” 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