ErwähnungvsErzählungTell them apart

Which to use

“Erwähnung” and “Erzählung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,913
“Erwähnung” frequency rank
#6,180
“Erzählung” frequency rank
14093
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erwähnung Erzählung
Definition Die Tatsache, dass eine Angelegenheit in einem umfassenderen Zusammenhang benannt, angesprochen und eingeordnet wird Darstellung eines Ereignisses, Vorkommnisses

Where the eye mixes Erwähnung and Erzählung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Erwähnung and Erzählung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
Erwähnung
9 ch
Erzählung

Look-alike desk: Erwähnung vs Erzählung

A purely visual mix-up. Erwähnung ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnʊŋ]) and Erzählung ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ]) 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 14093, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erwähnung is recorded at frequency rank #7,913, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnʊŋ]. Erzählung is at rank #6,180, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ].

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 14093, this pair ranks #1,953,602 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erwähnung vs Erzählung

Shared letters: eghnruä. Private to "Erwähnung": w. Private to "Erzählung": lz.

"Erwähnung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC  ·  "Erzählung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Erwähnung" for "Erzählung" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛːnʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Erwähnung" vs "Erzählung" - which ranks higher?
"Erzählung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,180 in our German list, against #7,913 for "Erwähnung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Erwähnung" and "Erzählung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Erwähnung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erzählung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,953,602 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Erwähnung" and "Erzählung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erwähnung vs Erwähnungen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,953,602 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list