Which to use
“erwünscht” and “erwünschten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,704
- “erwünscht” frequency rank
- #49,636
- “erwünschten” frequency rank
- 58340
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erwünscht | erwünschten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von jemandem gewollt, herbeigesehnt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erwünscht |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erwünscht and erwünschten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. erwünscht ([ɛɐ̯ˈvʏnʃt]) and erwünschten ([ɛɐ̯ˈvʏnʃtn̩]) 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) - “erwünscht” sits inside “erwünschten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58340, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erwünscht is recorded at frequency rank #8,704, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvʏnʃt]. erwünschten is at rank #49,636, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈvʏnʃtn̩].
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 58340, this pair ranks #866,570 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erwünscht vs erwünschten
Shared letters: cehnrstwü. Private to "erwünscht": -. Private to "erwünschten": -.
"erwünscht" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCCC · "erwünschten" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCCCCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erwünscht" and "erwünschten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erwünscht" or "erwünschten"?
Remembering erwünscht vs erwünschten
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 “erwünscht” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable