Which to use
“Erzähler” is a noun and “erzählten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,274
- “Erzähler” frequency rank
- #16,694
- “erzählten” frequency rank
- 26968
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Erzähler | erzählten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person, die etwas erzählt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzählt |
Where the eye mixes Erzähler and erzählten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Erzähler runs 8 letters (VCCVCCVC) against erzählten's 9 (VCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Erzähler with erzählten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Erzähler is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlɐ] while erzählten is [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Erzähler is recorded at frequency rank #10,274, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlɐ]. 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 26968, this pair ranks #1,809,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Erzähler vs erzählten
Shared letters: ehlrzä. Private to "Erzähler": -. Private to "erzählten": nt.
"Erzähler" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "erzählten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Erzähler" and "erzählten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Erzähler" or "erzählten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Erzähler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,809,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Erzähler" and "erzählten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erzähler vs Erzählers". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,809,417 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.