Which to use
“erzählen” is a verb and “erzählten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,659
- “erzählen” frequency rank
- #16,694
- “erzählten” frequency rank
- 18353
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzählen | erzählten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schriftlich oder mündlich ein Erlebnis oder Vorkommnis anschaulich zur Darstellung bringen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzählt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erzählen and erzählten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
erzählen and erzählten form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18353, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erzählen is recorded at frequency rank #1,659, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlən]. erzählten is at rank #16,694, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltn̩].
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 18353, this pair ranks #1,919,051 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erzählen" and "erzählten" be used interchangeably?
Remembering erzählen vs erzählten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erzählen”; for an adjective, it's “erzählten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erzählen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable