Which to use
“erwähnten” and “erzählten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,203
- “erwähnten” frequency rank
- #16,694
- “erzählten” frequency rank
- 24897
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwähnten | erzählten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erwähnt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzählt |
Where the eye mixes erwähnten and erzählten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erwähnten and erzählten follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses erwähnten with erzählten
A purely visual mix-up. erwähnten ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːntn̩]) and erzählten ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltn̩]) 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 24897, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erwähnten is recorded at frequency rank #8,203, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːntn̩]. erzählten is at rank #16,694, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltn̩].
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 24897, this pair ranks #1,841,051 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erwähnten vs erzählten
Shared letters: ehnrtä. Private to "erwähnten": w. Private to "erzählten": lz.
"erwähnten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "erzählten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erwähnten" for "erzählten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erwähnten" or "erzählten"?
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 "erwähnten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,841,051 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erwähnten" and "erzählten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ersehnten vs erwähnten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,841,051 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.