ErwägungvsErwähnungWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Erwägung” and “Erwähnung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,797
“Erwägung” frequency rank
#7,913
“Erwähnung” frequency rank
22710
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erwägung Erwähnung
Definition das prüfende Nachdenken über etwas oder verschiedene Möglichkeiten, wobei auch die möglichen Folgen bedacht werden Die Tatsache, dass eine Angelegenheit in einem umfassenderen Zusammenhang benannt, angesprochen und eingeordnet wird

Where the eye mixes Erwägung and Erwähnung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Erwägung runs 8 letters (VCCVCVCC) against Erwähnung's 9 (VCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Erwägung
9 ch
Erwähnung

Visual trap between Erwägung and Erwähnung

A purely visual mix-up. Erwägung ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːɡʊŋ]) and Erwähnung ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnʊŋ]) 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 22710, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erwägung is recorded at frequency rank #14,797, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːɡʊŋ]. Erwähnung is at rank #7,913, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnʊŋ].

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 22710, this pair ranks #1,870,731 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erwägung vs Erwähnung

Shared letters: egnruwä. Private to "Erwägung": -. Private to "Erwähnung": h.

"Erwägung" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC  ·  "Erwähnung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Erwägung" and "Erwähnung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːɡʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Erwägung" vs "Erwähnung" - which ranks higher?
"Erwähnung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,913 in our German list, against #14,797 for "Erwägung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Erwägung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erwähnung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,870,731 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Erwägung" and "Erwähnung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erwähnung vs Erwähnungen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,870,731 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list