Which to use
“erwähnst” is a verb and “erwähnte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,123
- “erwähnst” frequency rank
- #6,788
- “erwähnte” frequency rank
- 54911
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwähnst | erwähnte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erwähnen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erwähnt |
Where the eye mixes erwähnst and erwähnte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erwähnst (VCCVCCCC) and erwähnte (VCCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses erwähnst with erwähnte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erwähnst is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnst] while erwähnte is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːntə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54911, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erwähnst is recorded at frequency rank #48,123, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnst]. 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 54911, this pair ranks #1,000,160 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erwähnst vs erwähnte
Shared letters: ehnrtwä. Private to "erwähnst": s. Private to "erwähnte": -.
"erwähnst" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCC · "erwähnte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erwähnst" for "erwähnte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erwähnst" or "erwähnte"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erwähnst" 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 #1,000,160 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwähnst" and "erwähnte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwächst vs erwähnst". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,000,160 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.