erwiesenvserwirkenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,787
“erwiesen” frequency rank
#26,856
“erwirken” frequency rank
33643
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erwiesen erwirken
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erweisen nach den Regeln entsprechenden Bemühungen, zum Beispiel einem formgerechten Antrag auf ein Begehren, einen positiven Bescheid erhalten

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
erwiesen
8 ch
erwirken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erwiesen ([ɛɐ̯ˈviːzn̩]) and erwirken ([ɛɐ̯ˈvɪʁkn̩]) 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 33643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erwiesen is recorded at frequency rank #6,787, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈviːzn̩]. erwirken is at rank #26,856, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvɪʁkn̩].

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 33643, this pair ranks #1,681,278 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erwiesen vs erwirken

Shared letters: einrw. Private to "erwiesen": s. Private to "erwirken": k.

"erwiesen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC  ·  "erwirken" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erwieseneriwesen · errwiesen · erwieesn · erwiesenn · erwiesne · erwiessen · erwiseen · erwwiesen
  • erwirkeneriwrken · errwirken · erwikren · erwirekn · erwirkenn · erwirkken · erwirkne · erwirrken

Frequency comparison

erwiesen#6,787
erwirken#26,856

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erwiesen" and "erwirken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈviːzn̩] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈvɪʁkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erwiesen" or "erwirken"?
"erwiesen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,787 in our German list, against #26,856 for "erwirken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erwiesen vs erwirken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erwiesen” 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