erstickenvserstreckenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,348
“ersticken” frequency rank
#19,561
“erstrecken” frequency rank
34909
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ersticken erstrecken
Definition durch fehlende Sauerstoffzufuhr sterben eine bestimmte räumliche Ausdehnung haben

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
ersticken
10 ch
erstrecken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ersticken ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkn̩]) and erstrecken ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɛkn̩]) 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 34909, 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]. erstrecken is at rank #19,561, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɛkn̩].

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 34909, this pair ranks #1,652,488 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ersticken vs erstrecken

Shared letters: ceknrst. Private to "ersticken": i. Private to "erstrecken": -.

"ersticken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC  ·  "erstrecken" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erstickenerrsticken · ersitcken · erssticken · erstciken · ersticcken · ersticekn · erstickenn · erstickken
  • erstreckenerrstrecken · ersrtecken · ersstrecken · erstercken · erstrceken · erstreccken · erstrecekn · erstreckenn

Frequency comparison

ersticken#15,348
erstrecken#19,561

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ersticken" and "erstrecken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtɪkn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɛkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ersticken" or "erstrecken"?
"ersticken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,348 in our German list, against #19,561 for "erstrecken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ersticken vs erstrecken

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