Which to use
“erstrecken” is a verb and “erstreckte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,561
- “erstrecken” frequency rank
- #22,710
- “erstreckte” frequency rank
- 42271
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erstrecken | erstreckte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine bestimmte räumliche Ausdehnung haben | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erstreckt |
Where the eye mixes erstrecken and erstreckte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. erstrecken (VCCCCVCCVC) and erstreckte (VCCCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses erstrecken with erstreckte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erstrecken is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɛkn̩] while erstreckte is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɛktə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42271, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erstrecken is recorded at frequency rank #19,561, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɛkn̩]. erstreckte is at rank #22,710, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtʁɛktə].
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 42271, this pair ranks #1,454,508 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erstrecken vs erstreckte
Shared letters: cekrst. Private to "erstrecken": n. Private to "erstreckte": -.
"erstrecken" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "erstreckte" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- erstrecken ← errstrecken · ersrtecken · ersstrecken · erstercken · erstrceken · erstreccken · erstrecekn · erstreckenn
- erstreckte ← errstreckte · ersrteckte · ersstreckte · ersterckte · erstrcekte · erstrecckte · erstrecket · erstreckkte
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erstrecken" and "erstreckte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "erstrecken" or "erstreckte"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erstrecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erstreckte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,454,508 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erstrecken" and "erstreckte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ersticken vs erstrecken". 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 #1,454,508 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.