Which to use
“Erwachsene” and “Erwachsener” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,184
- “Erwachsene” frequency rank
- #11,047
- “Erwachsener” frequency rank
- 14231
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erwachsene | Erwachsener |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | körperlich und kognitiv reife Frau | ein erwachsener Mensch (Mann); ein Mensch (Mann), der ein bestimmtes Alter beziehungsweise mentales oder körperliches Entwicklungsstadium vom Jugendlichen her überschritten hat, also der Jugend entwachsen ist |
Where the eye mixes Erwachsene and Erwachsener
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Erwachsene runs 10 letters (VCCVCCCVCV) against Erwachsener's 11 (VCCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Erwachsene with Erwachsener
A purely visual mix-up. Erwachsene ([ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənə]) and Erwachsener ([ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənɐ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Erwachsene” sits inside “Erwachsener”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14231, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erwachsene is recorded at frequency rank #3,184, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənə]. Erwachsener is at rank #11,047, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaksənɐ].
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 14231, this pair ranks #1,952,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Erwachsene vs Erwachsener
Shared letters: acehnrsw. Private to "Erwachsene": -. Private to "Erwachsener": -.
"Erwachsene" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCV · "Erwachsener" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Erwachsene ← erawchsene · errwachsene · erwacchsene · erwachesne · erwachhsene · erwachseen · erwachsenne · erwachsnee
- Erwachsener ← erawchsener · errwachsener · erwacchsener · erwachesner · erwachhsener · erwachseenr · erwachsenerr · erwachsenner
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Erwachsene" and "Erwachsener" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Erwachsene" or "Erwachsener" show up more?
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 "Erwachsene" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erwachsener" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,952,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erwachsene" and "Erwachsener" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwachsen vs Erwachsener". 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 #1,952,672 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.