erzähle vs erzählt, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“erzähle” and “erzählt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#10,851
“erzähle” frequency rank: #926
“erzählt” frequency rank: 11777
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	erzähle	erzählt
Definition	1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs erzählen	Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erzählen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erzähle and erzählt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

erzähle

7 ch

erzählt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erzähle ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə]) and erzählt ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlt]) 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 a single letter - e in “erzähle” becomes t in “erzählt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11777, 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]. erzählt is at rank #926, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlt].

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 11777, this pair ranks #1,967,959 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of erzähle vs erzählt

Shared letters: ehlrzä. Private to "erzähle": -. Private to "erzählt": t.

"erzähle" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "erzählt" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC

Frequency comparison

erzähle#10,851

erzählt#926

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erzähle" and "erzählt" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlə] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "erzähle" or "erzählt"?

"erzählt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #926 in our German list, against #10,851 for "erzähle". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering erzähle vs erzählt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erzähle” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable