Erläuterung
[ɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯təʁʊŋ]
The verdict
“Erläuterung” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #18,875 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #18,875
- frequency rank, German
- 11
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Erklärung (von Zusammenhängen, Sachverhalten)
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Erläuterung |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯təʁʊŋ] |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #18,875 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Erläuterung” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Erläuterung is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯təʁʊŋ]. Corpus data places it at rank #18,875 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for Erläuterung, with forms such as "elräuterung", "erlläuterung", and "erluäterung". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Erläuterungen", "erläutern", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Erläuterung, spelled E-R-L-Ä-U-T-E-R-U-N-G.
Definition
- 1Erklärung (von Zusammenhängen, Sachverhalten)
- 2ein Rechtsbehelf
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: elräuterung,erlläuterung,erluäterung,erlätuerung,erläuetrung,erläuternug,erläuterrung,erläuterugn,erläuterungg,erläuterunng,erläuteurng,erläutreung,erläutterung,errläuterung,eräluterung,reläuterung
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Erläuterung - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "Erläuterung"?
What does "Erläuterung" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Erläuterung"?
How do you pronounce "Erläuterung"?
What language does "Erläuterung" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Erläuterung”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is E-R-L-Ä-U-T-E-R-U-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯təʁʊŋ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Erläuterungen” - see the side-by-side comparison. Erläuterung vs Erläuterungen
- 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.