ErtragvsertragenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Ertrag is a noun, ertragen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Ertrag” is a noun and “ertragen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,701
“Ertrag” frequency rank
#4,878
“ertragen” frequency rank
17579
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ertrag ertragen
Definition das positive Ergebnis einer Anstrengung eine unangenehme oder schwierige Situation hinnehmen und deswegen nicht die Beherrschung verlieren oder zusammenbrechen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Ertrag
8 ch
ertragen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ertrag is [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːk] while ertragen is [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Ertrag” sits inside “ertragen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17579, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ertrag is recorded at frequency rank #12,701, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːk]. ertragen is at rank #4,878, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩].

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 17579, this pair ranks #1,926,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ertrag vs ertragen

Shared letters: aegrt. Private to "Ertrag": -. Private to "ertragen": n.

"Ertrag" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC  ·  "ertragen" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ertragerrtag · errtrag · ertarg · ertragg · ertrga · ertrrag · erttrag · etrrag
  • ertragenerrtagen · errtragen · ertargen · ertraegn · ertragenn · ertraggen · ertragne · ertrgaen

Frequency comparison

Ertrag#12,701
ertragen#4,878

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ertrag" and "ertragen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Ertrag" is a noun and "ertragen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Ertrag" or "ertragen"?
"ertragen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,878 in our German list, against #12,701 for "Ertrag". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ertrag vs ertragen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Ertrag”; for a verb, it's “ertragen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Ertrag” 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