Erbschaft

[ˈɛʁpʃaft]

/[ˈɛʁpʃaft]/ noun

The verdict

“Erbschaft” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #21,589 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#21,589
frequency rank, German
9
letters
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - gesamter Besitz einer verstorbenen Person, der im Erbfall an die Erben übergehen kann

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Erbschaft vs ernsthaft
67% similar
Erbschaft vs erschafft
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Erbschaft
PropertyValue
HeadwordErbschaft
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈɛʁpʃaft]
Letters9
Frequency rank#21,589
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Erbschaft” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Erbschaft lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Erbschaft is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈɛʁpʃaft]. Corpus data places it at rank #21,589 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "gesamter Besitz einer verstorbenen Person, der im Erbfall an die Erben übergehen kann".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for Erbschaft, with forms such as "ebrschaft", "erbbschaft", and "erbcshaft". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "ernsthaft", "erschafft", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Erbschaft, spelled E-R-B-S-C-H-A-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    gesamter Besitz einer verstorbenen Person, der im Erbfall an die Erben übergehen kann

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ebrschaft,erbbschaft,erbcshaft,erbscahft,erbscchaft,erbschafft,erbschaftt,erbschatf,erbschfat,erbschhaft,erbshcaft,erbsschaft,errbschaft,ersbchaft,rebschaft

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Erbschaft - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ebrschaft2erbbschaft1erbcshaft2erbscahft2erbscchaft1erbschafft1erbschaftt1erbschatf2
Edit distance from "Erbschaft"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Erbschaft"?
"Erbschaft" is spelled E-R-B-S-C-H-A-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɛʁpʃaft].
What does "Erbschaft" mean?
As a noun, "Erbschaft" means: gesamter Besitz einer verstorbenen Person, der im Erbfall an die Erben übergehen kann
What words are commonly confused with "Erbschaft"?
"Erbschaft" is commonly confused with "ernsthaft", "erschafft". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Erbschaft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Erbschaft" is [ˈɛʁpʃaft]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Erbschaft" come from?
"Erbschaft" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Erbschaft”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is E-R-B-S-C-H-A-F-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈɛʁpʃaft] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ernsthaft” - see the side-by-side comparison. Erbschaft vs ernsthaft
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list