Which to use
“erwähne” is a verb and “erwähnte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,539
- “erwähne” frequency rank
- #6,788
- “erwähnte” frequency rank
- 32327
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwähne | erwähnte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erwähnen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erwähnt |
Where the eye mixes erwähne and erwähnte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erwähne runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against erwähnte's 8 (VCCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erwähne with erwähnte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erwähne is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnə] while erwähnte is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːntə]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32327, 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]. erwähnte is at rank #6,788, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːntə].
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 32327, this pair ranks #1,710,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwähne vs erwähnte
Shared letters: ehnrwä. Private to "erwähne": -. Private to "erwähnte": t.
"erwähne" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erwähnte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erwähne" for "erwähnte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "erwähne" or "erwähnte" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "erwähne" and "erwähnte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erwähne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erwähnte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,710,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwähne" and "erwähnte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwähne vs erwähnst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,710,019 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.