Which to use
“erzählte” and “erzielte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,958
- “erzählte” frequency rank
- #4,117
- “erzielte” frequency rank
- 8075
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzählte | erzielte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzählt | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzielt |
Where the eye mixes erzählte and erzielte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. erzählte (VCCVCCCV) and erzielte (VCCVVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between erzählte and erzielte
A purely visual mix-up. erzählte ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltə]) and erzielte ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡siːltə]) 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 8075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erzählte is recorded at frequency rank #3,958, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltə]. erzielte is at rank #4,117, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡siːltə].
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 8075, this pair ranks #1,985,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erzählte vs erzielte
Shared letters: elrtz. Private to "erzählte": hä. Private to "erzielte": i.
"erzählte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV · "erzielte" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- erzielte ← erizelte · errzielte · erzeilte · erzielet · erziellte · erzieltte · erzietle · erzilete
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erzählte" for "erzielte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "erzählte" or "erzielte"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erzählte" and "erzielte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzielte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,985,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erzählte" and "erzielte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erzieht vs erzielte". 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 #1,985,729 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.