Which to use
“erzähl” is a verb and “Erzähler” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,705
- “erzähl” frequency rank
- #10,274
- “Erzähler” frequency rank
- 18979
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzähl | Erzähler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen | Person, die etwas erzählt |
Where the eye mixes erzähl and Erzähler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erzähl runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against Erzähler's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erzähl with Erzähler
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erzähl is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːl] while Erzähler is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “erzähl” sits inside “Erzähler”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18979, 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]. Erzähler is at rank #10,274, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlɐ].
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 18979, this pair ranks #1,912,990 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erzähl vs Erzähler
Shared letters: ehlrzä. Private to "erzähl": -. Private to "Erzähler": -.
"erzähl" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "Erzähler" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erzähl" and "Erzähler" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "erzähl" or "Erzähler" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erzähl" and "Erzähler" 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 "Erzähler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,912,990 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erzähl" and "Erzähler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erzähler vs Erzählers". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,912,990 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.