Which to use
“erwähne” and “erzähle” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,539
- “erwähne” frequency rank
- #10,851
- “erzähle” frequency rank
- 36390
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwähne | erzähle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erwähnen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen |
Where the eye mixes erwähne and erzähle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. erwähne and erzähle follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses erwähne with erzähle
A purely visual mix-up. erwähne ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnə]) and erzähle ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36390, 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]. erzähle is at rank #10,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə].
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 36390, this pair ranks #1,616,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwähne vs erzähle
Shared letters: ehrä. Private to "erwähne": nw. Private to "erzähle": lz.
"erwähne" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erzähle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erwähne" and "erzähle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erwähne" or "erzähle"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erwähne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzähle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,616,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwähne" and "erzähle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwähne vs erwähnst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,616,818 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.