Which to use
“erteilen” is a verb and “erteilte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,897
- “erteilen” frequency rank
- #13,815
- “erteilte” frequency rank
- 23712
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erteilen | erteilte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem etwas zukommen lassen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erteilt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erteilen and erteilte 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: erteilen is [ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯lən] while erteilte is [ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯ltə]. 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 23712, 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]. erteilte is at rank #13,815, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtaɪ̯ltə].
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 23712, this pair ranks #1,857,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erteilen vs erteilte
Shared letters: eilrt. Private to "erteilen": n. Private to "erteilte": -.
"erteilen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC · "erteilte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erteilen" and "erteilte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erteilen" or "erteilte"?
Remembering erteilen vs erteilte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erteilen”; for an adjective, it's “erteilte”.
- 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