Which to use
“erwachsen” is an adjective and “erwächst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,704
- “erwachsen” frequency rank
- #41,790
- “erwächst” frequency rank
- 47494
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwachsen | erwächst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus dem Kindesalter heraus, über das Jugendalter hinausgewachsen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erwachsen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erwachsen and erwächst apart are highlighted. They share 6 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 erwächst is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛkst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47494, 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]. erwächst is at rank #41,790, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛkst].
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 47494, this pair ranks #1,282,292 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erwachsen vs erwächst
Shared letters: cehrsw. Private to "erwachsen": an. Private to "erwächst": tä.
"erwachsen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "erwächst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erwachsen ← erawchsen · errwachsen · erwacchsen · erwachesn · erwachhsen · erwachsenn · erwachsne · erwachssen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erwachsen" and "erwächst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erwachsen" or "erwächst"?
Remembering erwachsen vs erwächst
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “erwachsen”; for a verb, it's “erwächst”.
- 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