erledigen

[ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩]

/[ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“erledigen” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #5,078 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#5,078
frequency rank, German
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - etwas fertig machen; zu Ende bringen; eine Arbeit tun, die noch aussteht

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

erledigen vs erlegen
78% similar
erledigen vs erledigt
78% similar
erledigen vs erleiden
78% similar

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

Key facts for erledigen
PropertyValue
Headworderledigen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩]
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,078
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “erledigen” 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). erledigen 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 erledigen is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #5,078 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for erledigen, with forms such as "elredigen", "ereldigen", and "erldeigen". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "erlegen", "erledigt", "erleiden", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is erledigen, spelled E-R-L-E-D-I-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas fertig machen; zu Ende bringen; eine Arbeit tun, die noch aussteht
  2. 2
    gegen jemanden so vorgehen, dass er dadurch Macht und Einfluss verliert oder wehrlos wird
  3. 3
    jemanden umbringen
  4. 4
    nicht mehr der Vollendung bedürfen; ohne Zutun fertig werden

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: elredigen,ereldigen,erldeigen,erleddigen,erledgien,erlediegn,erledigenn,erlediggen,erledigne,erleidgen,erlledigen,errledigen,reledigen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of erledigen - 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.

elredigen2ereldigen2erldeigen2erleddigen1erledgien2erlediegn2erledigenn1erlediggen1
Edit distance from "erledigen"

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 "erledigen"?
"erledigen" is spelled E-R-L-E-D-I-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩].
What does "erledigen" mean?
As a verb, "erledigen" means: etwas fertig machen; zu Ende bringen; eine Arbeit tun, die noch aussteht
What words are commonly confused with "erledigen"?
"erledigen" is commonly confused with "erlegen", "erledigt", "erleiden". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "erledigen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "erledigen" is [ɛɐ̯ˈleːdɪɡn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "erledigen" come from?
"erledigen" 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 “erledigen”

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

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