Which to use
“erzähle” and “erzählen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,851
- “erzähle” frequency rank
- #1,659
- “erzählen” frequency rank
- 12510
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzähle | erzählen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen | schriftlich oder mündlich ein Erlebnis oder Vorkommnis anschaulich zur Darstellung bringen |
Where the eye mixes erzähle and erzählen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erzähle runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against erzählen's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: erzähle vs erzählen
A purely visual mix-up. erzähle ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “erzähle” sits inside “erzählen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erzähle is recorded at frequency rank #10,851, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə]. 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 12510, this pair ranks #1,963,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erzähle vs erzählen
Shared letters: ehlrzä. Private to "erzähle": -. Private to "erzählen": n.
"erzähle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erzählen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erzähle" and "erzählen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "erzähle" vs "erzählen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erzähle" 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 #1,963,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erzähle" and "erzählen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erzähle vs Erzählers". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,963,750 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.