erzählevsErzählerTell them apart

Quick tell: erzähle is a verb, Erzähler is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“erzähle” is a verb and “Erzähler” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,851
“erzähle” frequency rank
#10,274
“Erzähler” frequency rank
21125
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erzähle Erzähler
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen Person, die etwas erzählt

Where the eye mixes erzähle and Erzähler

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erzähle runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against Erzähler's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
erzähle
8 ch
Erzähler

Look-alike desk: erzähle vs Erzähler

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erzähle is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə] while Erzähler is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “erzähle” 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 21125, 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]. 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 21125, this pair ranks #1,889,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erzähle vs Erzähler

Shared letters: ehlrzä. Private to "erzähle": -. Private to "Erzähler": -.

"erzähle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "Erzähler" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "erzähle" and "Erzähler" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "erzähle" is a verb and "Erzähler" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "erzähle" vs "Erzähler" - which ranks higher?
"Erzähler" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,274 in our German list, against #10,851 for "erzähle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "erzähle" and "Erzähler" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "erzähle" 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 #1,889,907 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "erzähle" and "Erzähler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erzähle vs Erzählers". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,889,907 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list