erkennen

[ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən]

/[ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“erkennen” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,054 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,054
frequency rank, German
8
letters
10
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - etwas oder jemanden so deutlich wahrnehmen, dass man weiß, was oder wer es ist (im Sinne von etwas wiedererkennen)

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

erkennen vs erkennt
75% similar
erkennen vs erlernen
75% similar
erkennen vs erkunden
75% similar

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

Key facts for erkennen
PropertyValue
Headworderkennen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən]
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,054
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “erkennen” 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). erkennen 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 erkennen is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,054 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for erkennen, with forms such as "ekrennen", "ereknnen", and "erkenen". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "erkennt", "erlernen", "erkunden", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is erkennen, spelled E-R-K-E-N-N-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas oder jemanden so deutlich wahrnehmen, dass man weiß, was oder wer es ist (im Sinne von etwas wiedererkennen)
  2. 2
    identifizieren; auf Grund bestimmter Anzeichen feststellen, um was oder um wen es sich handelt; mit geschultem, sachverständigen Blick erfassen
  3. 3
    jemanden durchschauen, richtig beurteilen, einschätzen, Klarheit gewinnen über jemanden, bezogen auf praktische, ethische Fragen oder Umgangsformen; etwas voll, in seiner eigentlichen Bedeutung begreifen; oft im Gegensatz zum sinnlichen Wahrnehmen
  4. 4
    etwas umfassend, durch philosophische Systeme, Theorien begreifen; der Mensch erfasst die Realität auf empirische (John Locke), transzendentale (Immanuel Kant) oder sensualistische (Étienne Bonnot de Condillac) Weise; ferner wird erkennen auch als "wiedererkennen" von Erlebtem interpretiert (Moritz Schlick)
  5. 5
    im Rahmen eines Urteils ein benanntes Verbrechen bestätigen
  6. 6
    begatten, Geschlechtsverkehr haben
  7. 7
    gutschreiben

Synonyms

erblickenerspähenherausfindenhörensehenwahrnehmenausmachenbestimmenbeurteilendiagnostizierenkonstatierenwiedererkennenbegreifeneinsehendurchschauenerfassencheckenbefinden

This word in other languages

recognize(English)ver(Español)reconnaître(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ekrennen,ereknnen,erkenen,erkenenn,erkennenn,erkennne,erkkennen,erknenen,errkennen,rekennen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of erkennen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ekrennen2ereknnen2erkenen1erkenenn2erkennenn1erkennne2erkkennen1erknenen2
Edit distance from "erkennen"

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 "erkennen"?
"erkennen" is spelled E-R-K-E-N-N-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən].
What does "erkennen" mean?
As a verb, "erkennen" means: etwas oder jemanden so deutlich wahrnehmen, dass man weiß, was oder wer es ist (im Sinne von etwas wiedererkennen)
What words are commonly confused with "erkennen"?
"erkennen" is commonly confused with "erkennt", "erlernen", "erkunden". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "erkennen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "erkennen" is [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "erkennen" come from?
"erkennen" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “erkennen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is E-R-K-E-N-N-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ɛɐ̯ˈkɛnən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “erkennt” - see the side-by-side comparison. erkennen vs erkennt
  • 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