Which to use
“erzähl” is a verb and “erzählte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,705
- “erzähl” frequency rank
- #3,958
- “erzählte” frequency rank
- 12663
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzähl | erzählte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzählt |
Where the eye mixes erzähl and erzählte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erzähl runs 6 letters (VCCVCC) against erzählte's 8 (VCCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erzähl vs erzählte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erzähl is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːl] while erzählte is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “erzähl” sits inside “erzählte”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12663, 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]. erzählte is at rank #3,958, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltə].
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 12663, this pair ranks #1,962,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erzähl vs erzählte
Shared letters: ehlrzä. Private to "erzähl": -. Private to "erzählte": t.
"erzähl" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "erzählte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erzähl" and "erzählte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "erzähl" vs "erzählte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erzähl" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,962,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erzähl" and "erzählte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erwählt vs erzähl". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,962,819 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.