Which to use
“erzählen” and “erzielen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,659
- “erzählen” frequency rank
- #4,195
- “erzielen” frequency rank
- 5854
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzählen | erzielen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schriftlich oder mündlich ein Erlebnis oder Vorkommnis anschaulich zur Darstellung bringen | etwas Anvisiertes (Angestrebtes) erreichen |
Where the eye mixes erzählen and erzielen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erzählen (VCCVCCVC) and erzielen (VCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses erzählen with erzielen
A purely visual mix-up. erzählen ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlən]) and erzielen ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡siːlən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5854, 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]. erzielen is at rank #4,195, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡siːlən].
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 5854, this pair ranks #1,993,494 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erzählen vs erzielen
Shared letters: elnrz. Private to "erzählen": hä. Private to "erzielen": i.
"erzählen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erzielen" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erzielen ← erizelen · errzielen · erzeilen · erzieeln · erzielenn · erziellen · erzielne · erzileen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erzählen" and "erzielen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "erzählen" or "erzielen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "erzählen" and "erzielen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzielen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,993,494 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erzählen" and "erzielen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erzählen vs Erzählers". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,993,494 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.