Which to use
“erwachsen” is an adjective and “Erwachsene” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,704
- “erwachsen” frequency rank
- #3,184
- “Erwachsene” frequency rank
- 8888
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwachsen | Erwachsene |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus dem Kindesalter heraus, über das Jugendalter hinausgewachsen | körperlich und kognitiv reife Frau |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erwachsen and Erwachsene apart are highlighted. They share 9 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: erwachsen is [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksn̩] while Erwachsene is [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “erwachsen” sits inside “Erwachsene”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8888, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erwachsen is recorded at frequency rank #5,704, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksn̩]. Erwachsene is at rank #3,184, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənə].
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 8888, this pair ranks #1,982,361 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwachsen vs Erwachsene
Shared letters: acehnrsw. Private to "erwachsen": -. Private to "Erwachsene": -.
"erwachsen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "Erwachsene" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- erwachsen ← erawchsen · errwachsen · erwacchsen · erwachesn · erwachhsen · erwachsenn · erwachsne · erwachssen
- Erwachsene ← erawchsene · errwachsene · erwacchsene · erwachesne · erwachhsene · erwachseen · erwachsenne · erwachsnee
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erwachsen" and "Erwachsene" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erwachsen" or "Erwachsene"?
Remembering erwachsen vs Erwachsene
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “erwachsen”; for a noun, it's “Erwachsene”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erwachsen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable