Which to use
“ertränken” and “ertrinken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,860
- “ertränken” frequency rank
- #13,816
- “ertrinken” frequency rank
- 62676
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ertränken | ertrinken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden oder etwas töten, indem man die Atmungsorgane unter Wasser hält | im Wasser untergehen und dadurch zu Tode kommen |
Where the eye mixes ertränken and ertrinken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. ertränken and ertrinken follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between ertränken and ertrinken
A purely visual mix-up. ertränken ([ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɛŋkn̩]) and ertrinken ([ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkn̩]) 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 a single letter - ä in “ertränken” becomes i in “ertrinken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ertränken is recorded at frequency rank #48,860, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɛŋkn̩]. ertrinken is at rank #13,816, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁɪŋkn̩].
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 62676, this pair ranks #704,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ertränken vs ertrinken
Shared letters: eknrt. Private to "ertränken": ä. Private to "ertrinken": i.
"ertränken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "ertrinken" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ertrinken ← errtinken · errtrinken · ertirnken · ertriknen · ertrinekn · ertrinkenn · ertrinkken · ertrinkne
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ertränken" for "ertrinken" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ertränken" vs "ertrinken" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ertränken" and "ertrinken" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ertränken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ertrinken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #704,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ertränken" and "ertrinken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ertränken vs ertrunken". 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 #704,162 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.