Which to use
“ertönen” is a verb and “ertönte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,516
- “ertönen” frequency rank
- #45,908
- “ertönte” frequency rank
- 86424
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ertönen | ertönte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | als Ton, Klang wahrnehmbar werden | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ertönt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ertönen and ertönte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ertönen and ertönte form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86424, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ertönen is recorded at frequency rank #40,516, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtøːnən]. ertönte is at rank #45,908, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtøːntə].
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 86424, this pair ranks #93,981 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ertönen" and "ertönte" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ertönen vs ertönte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ertönen”; for an adjective, it's “ertönte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ertönen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable