ErwerbvsErwerbsTell them apart

Which to use

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

#7,603
“Erwerb” frequency rank
#49,635
“Erwerbs” frequency rank
57238
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Erwerb Erwerbs
Definition Handlung des Erwerbens, das Erwerben Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Erwerb

Where the eye mixes Erwerb and Erwerbs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Erwerb runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against Erwerbs's 7 (VCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Erwerb
7 ch
Erwerbs

Look-alike desk: Erwerb vs Erwerbs

A purely visual mix-up. Erwerb ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁp]) and Erwerbs ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁps]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “Erwerb” sits inside “Erwerbs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57238, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erwerb is recorded at frequency rank #7,603, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁp]. Erwerbs is at rank #49,635, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁps].

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 57238, this pair ranks #909,118 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Erwerb vs Erwerbs

Shared letters: berw. Private to "Erwerb": -. Private to "Erwerbs": s.

"Erwerb" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC  ·  "Erwerbs" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Erwerb ← erewrb · errwerb · erwebr · erwerbb · erwerrb · erwreb · erwwerb · ewrerb
  • Erwerbs ← erewrbs · errwerbs · erwebrs · erwerbbs · erwerbss · erwerrbs · erwersb · erwrebs

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Erwerb" and "Erwerbs" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁp] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁps]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Erwerb" or "Erwerbs"?
"Erwerb" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,603 in our German list, against #49,635 for "Erwerbs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Erwerb" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Erwerbs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #909,118 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Erwerb" and "Erwerbs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erwerbs vs erwirbt". 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 #909,118 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