Which to use
“erwählt” is an adjective and “erzähl” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,395
- “erwählt” frequency rank
- #8,705
- “erzähl” frequency rank
- 35100
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwählt | erzähl |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | für eine bestimmte Aufgabe ausgesucht, bevorzugt | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen |
Where the eye mixes erwählt and erzähl
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erwählt runs 7 letters (VCCVCCC) against erzähl's 6 (VCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erwählt with erzähl
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erwählt is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːlt] while erzähl is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːl]. 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 35100, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erwählt is recorded at frequency rank #26,395, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːlt]. erzähl is at rank #8,705, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːl].
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 35100, this pair ranks #1,648,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwählt vs erzähl
Shared letters: ehlrä. Private to "erwählt": tw. Private to "erzähl": z.
"erwählt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC · "erzähl" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erwählt" and "erzähl" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erwählt" or "erzähl"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erwählt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzähl" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,648,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwählt" and "erzähl" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwählt vs erwähnst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,648,090 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.