Which to use
“erwachsen” and “erwachte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,704
- “erwachsen” frequency rank
- #28,642
- “erwachte” frequency rank
- 34346
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwachsen | erwachte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus dem Kindesalter heraus, über das Jugendalter hinausgewachsen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erwacht |
Where the eye mixes erwachsen and erwachte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erwachsen runs 9 letters (VCCVCCCVC) against erwachte's 8 (VCCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erwachsen with erwachte
A purely visual mix-up. erwachsen ([ɛɐ̯ˈvaksn̩]) and erwachte ([ɛɐ̯ˈvaxtə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34346, 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]. erwachte is at rank #28,642, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaxtə].
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 34346, this pair ranks #1,665,407 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwachsen vs erwachte
Shared letters: acehrw. Private to "erwachsen": ns. Private to "erwachte": t.
"erwachsen" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "erwachte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erwachsen" and "erwachte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "erwachsen" or "erwachte"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erwachsen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erwachte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,665,407 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwachsen" and "erwachte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erachte vs erwachte". 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 #1,665,407 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.