Which to use
“Erwartung” and “Erwartungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,648
- “Erwartung” frequency rank
- #4,034
- “Erwartungen” frequency rank
- 14682
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erwartung | Erwartungen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zustand der Spannung, des Wartens, der Ungeduld | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Erwartung |
Where the eye mixes Erwartung and Erwartungen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Erwartung runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVCC) against Erwartungen's 11 (VCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Erwartung and Erwartungen
A purely visual mix-up. Erwartung ([ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtʊŋ]) and Erwartungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtʊŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Erwartung” sits inside “Erwartungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14682, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erwartung is recorded at frequency rank #10,648, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtʊŋ]. Erwartungen is at rank #4,034, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvaʁtʊŋən].
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 14682, this pair ranks #1,949,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Erwartung vs Erwartungen
Shared letters: aegnrtuw. Private to "Erwartung": -. Private to "Erwartungen": -.
"Erwartung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Erwartungen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Erwartung ← erawrtung · errwartung · erwarrtung · erwartnug · erwarttung · erwartugn · erwartungg · erwartunng
- Erwartungen ← erawrtungen · errwartungen · erwarrtungen · erwartnugen · erwarttungen · erwartugnen · erwartunegn · erwartungenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Erwartung" and "Erwartungen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Erwartung" or "Erwartungen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Erwartung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erwartungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,949,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erwartung" and "Erwartungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erkältungen vs Erwartungen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,949,492 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.