Which to use
“erzähl” and “erzählen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,705
- “erzähl” frequency rank
- #1,659
- “erzählen” frequency rank
- 10364
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzähl | erzählen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen | schriftlich oder mündlich ein Erlebnis oder Vorkommnis anschaulich zur Darstellung bringen |
Where the eye mixes erzähl and erzählen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between erzähl and erzählen
A purely visual mix-up. erzähl ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːl]) and erzählen ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlən]) 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) - “erzähl” sits inside “erzählen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10364, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erzähl is recorded at frequency rank #8,705, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːl]. erzählen is at rank #1,659, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlən].
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 10364, this pair ranks #1,975,508 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erzähl vs erzählen
Shared letters: ehlrzä. Private to "erzähl": -. Private to "erzählen": n.
"erzähl" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "erzählen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erzähl" and "erzählen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erzähl" or "erzählen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "erzähl" and "erzählen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erzähl" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,975,508 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erzähl" and "erzählen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erzählen vs Erzählers". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,975,508 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.