erteilenvserteiltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,897
“erteilen” frequency rank
#5,260
“erteilt” frequency rank
15157
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erteilen erteilt
Definition jemandem etwas zukommen lassen Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erteilen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erteilen and erteilt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
erteilen
7 ch
erteilt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erteilen ([ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən]) and erteilt ([ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lt]) 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 15157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erteilen is recorded at frequency rank #9,897, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən]. erteilt is at rank #5,260, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lt].

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 15157, this pair ranks #1,945,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erteilen vs erteilt

Shared letters: eilrt. Private to "erteilen": n. Private to "erteilt": -.

"erteilen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC  ·  "erteilt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erteileneretilen · errteilen · erteieln · erteilenn · erteillen · erteilne · ertelien · ertielen
  • erteilteretilt · errteilt · erteillt · erteiltt · erteitl · ertelit · ertielt · ertteilt

Frequency comparison

erteilen#9,897
erteilt#5,260

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erteilen" and "erteilt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erteilen" or "erteilt"?
"erteilt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,260 in our German list, against #9,897 for "erteilen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erteilen vs erteilt

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 “erteilen” 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