erwerbenvsErwerbsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: erwerben is a verb, Erwerbs is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erwerben” is a verb and “Erwerbs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,941
“erwerben” frequency rank
#49,635
“Erwerbs” frequency rank
55576
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erwerben Erwerbs
Definition etwas durch eigene Arbeit verdienen Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Erwerb

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erwerben and Erwerbs apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
erwerben
7 ch
Erwerbs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erwerben is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁbn̩] while Erwerbs is [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁps]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55576, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erwerben is recorded at frequency rank #5,941, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɛʁbn̩]. 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 55576, this pair ranks #974,254 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erwerben vs Erwerbs

Shared letters: berw. Private to "erwerben": n. Private to "Erwerbs": s.

"erwerben" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC  ·  "Erwerbs" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erwerbenerewrben · errwerben · erwebren · erwerbben · erwerbenn · erwerbne · erwerebn · erwerrben
  • Erwerbserewrbs · errwerbs · erwebrs · erwerbbs · erwerbss · erwerrbs · erwersb · erwrebs

Frequency comparison

erwerben#5,941
Erwerbs#49,635

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erwerben" and "Erwerbs" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erwerben" is a verb and "Erwerbs" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "erwerben" or "Erwerbs"?
"erwerben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,941 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.

Remembering erwerben vs Erwerbs

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erwerben”; for a noun, it's “Erwerbs”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erwerben” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list