Which to use
“erwähne” and “erwähnen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,539
- “erwähne” frequency rank
- #4,697
- “erwähnen” frequency rank
- 30236
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwähne | erwähnen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erwähnen | etwas nebenbei und beiläufig aussprechen/anführen, zur Sprache bringen |
Where the eye mixes erwähne and erwähnen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erwähne runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against erwähnen's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erwähne with erwähnen
A purely visual mix-up. erwähne ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnə]) and erwähnen ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnən]) 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) - “erwähne” sits inside “erwähnen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30236, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erwähne is recorded at frequency rank #25,539, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnə]. erwähnen is at rank #4,697, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnən].
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 30236, this pair ranks #1,751,801 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwähne vs erwähnen
Shared letters: ehnrwä. Private to "erwähne": -. Private to "erwähnen": -.
"erwähne" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erwähnen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erwähne" for "erwähnen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erwähne" or "erwähnen"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erwähne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erwähnen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,751,801 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwähne" and "erwähnen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwähne vs erwähnst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,751,801 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.