Which to use
“erzählten” and “erzielten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,694
- “erzählten” frequency rank
- #9,898
- “erzielten” frequency rank
- 26592
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erzählten | erzielten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzählt | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erzielt |
Where the eye mixes erzählten and erzielten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. erzählten (VCCVCCCVC) and erzielten (VCCVVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between erzählten and erzielten
A purely visual mix-up. erzählten ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltn̩]) and erzielten ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡siːltn̩]) 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 26592, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erzählten is recorded at frequency rank #16,694, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːltn̩]. erzielten is at rank #9,898, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡siːltn̩].
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 26592, this pair ranks #1,815,675 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erzählten vs erzielten
Shared letters: elnrtz. Private to "erzählten": hä. Private to "erzielten": i.
"erzählten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCCVC · "erzielten" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erzielten ← erizelten · errzielten · erzeilten · erzieletn · erziellten · erzieltenn · erzieltne · erzieltten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erzählten" and "erzielten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "erzählten" or "erzielten"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erzählten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erzielten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,815,675 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erzählten" and "erzielten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erzähle vs erzählten". 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 #1,815,675 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.