erwähltvserzählstWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erwählt is a adjective, erzählst is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erwählt” is an adjective and “erzählst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#26,395
“erwählt” frequency rank
#18,531
“erzählst” frequency rank
44926
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erwählt erzählst
Definition für eine bestimmte Aufgabe ausgesucht, bevorzugt 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erwählt and erzählst apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
erwählt
8 ch
erzählst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erwählt is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːlt] while erzählst is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlst]. 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 44926, 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]. erzählst is at rank #18,531, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlst].

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 44926, this pair ranks #1,370,160 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erwählt vs erzählst

Shared letters: ehlrtä. Private to "erwählt": w. Private to "erzählst": sz.

"erwählt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC  ·  "erzählst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC

Frequency comparison

erwählt#26,395
erzählst#18,531

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erwählt" and "erzählst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erwählt" is an adjective and "erzählst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erwählt" or "erzählst"?
"erzählst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,531 in our German list, against #26,395 for "erwählt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erwählt vs erzählst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “erwählt”; for a verb, it's “erzählst”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erwählt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list