Which to use
“erwähnte” and “erzählte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,788
- “erwähnte” frequency rank
- #3,958
- “erzählte” frequency rank
- 10746
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwähnte | erzählte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erwähnt | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzählt |
Where the eye mixes erwähnte and erzählte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erwähnte and erzählte follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between erwähnte and erzählte
A purely visual mix-up. erwähnte ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːntə]) and erzählte ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltə]) 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 10746, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erwähnte is recorded at frequency rank #6,788, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːntə]. erzählte is at rank #3,958, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltə].
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 10746, this pair ranks #1,973,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwähnte vs erzählte
Shared letters: ehrtä. Private to "erwähnte": nw. Private to "erzählte": lz.
"erwähnte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV · "erzählte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erwähnte" for "erzählte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erwähnte" vs "erzählte" - which ranks higher?
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 "erwähnte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,973,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwähnte" and "erzählte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwähnst vs erwähnte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,973,540 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.