Erzählung vs Erzählungen, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“Erzählung” and “Erzählungen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#6,180
“Erzählung” frequency rank: #7,314
“Erzählungen” frequency rank: 13494
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Erzählung	Erzählungen
Definition	Darstellung eines Ereignisses, Vorkommnisses	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Erzählung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Erzählung and Erzählungen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch

Erzählung

11 ch

Erzählungen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Erzählung ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ]) and Erzählungen ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Erzählung” sits inside “Erzählungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13494, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Erzählung is recorded at frequency rank #6,180, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ]. Erzählungen is at rank #7,314, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋən].

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 13494, this pair ranks #1,957,628 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Erzählung vs Erzählungen

Shared letters: eghlnruzä. Private to "Erzählung": -. Private to "Erzählungen": -.

"Erzählung" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC · "Erzählungen" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Erzählung#6,180

Erzählungen#7,314

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Erzählung" and "Erzählungen" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋ] versus [ɛɐ̯ˈt͡sɛːlʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Erzählung" or "Erzählungen"?

"Erzählung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,180 in our German list, against #7,314 for "Erzählungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Erzählung vs Erzählungen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Erzählung” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable