Which to use
“erwachsen” is an adjective and “Erwachsenen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,704
- “erwachsen” frequency rank
- #3,725
- “Erwachsenen” frequency rank
- 9429
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwachsen | Erwachsenen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus dem Kindesalter heraus, über das Jugendalter hinausgewachsen | Genitiv Singular der starken Flexion des Substantivs Erwachsener |
Where the eye mixes erwachsen and Erwachsenen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. erwachsen runs 9 letters (VCCVCCCVC) against Erwachsenen's 11 (VCCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erwachsen with Erwachsenen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erwachsen is [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksn̩] while Erwachsenen is [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “erwachsen” sits inside “Erwachsenen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9429, 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]. Erwachsenen is at rank #3,725, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənən].
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 9429, this pair ranks #1,979,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwachsen vs Erwachsenen
Shared letters: acehnrsw. Private to "erwachsen": -. Private to "Erwachsenen": -.
"erwachsen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "Erwachsenen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erwachsen ← erawchsen · errwachsen · erwacchsen · erwachesn · erwachhsen · erwachsenn · erwachsne · erwachssen
- Erwachsenen ← erawchsenen · errwachsenen · erwacchsenen · erwachesnen · erwachhsenen · erwachseenn · erwachsenenn · erwachsennen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erwachsen" and "Erwachsenen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erwachsen" or "Erwachsenen"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "erwachsen" and "Erwachsenen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erwachsen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erwachsenen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,979,978 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwachsen" and "Erwachsenen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwachsen vs erwächst". 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 #1,979,978 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.