erlen

[ˈɛʁlən]

/[ˈɛʁlən]/ adj

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

The verdict

“erlen” is uncommon German (frequency #59,607 among 57,060 “E” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,607
frequency rank, German
57,060
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - aus Erlenholz bestehend oder gemacht

Key facts for erlen
PropertyValue
Headworderlen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈɛʁlən]
Letters5
Frequency rank#59,607
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “erlen” 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). erlen lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

erlen is uncommon German at frequency #59,607 among 57,060 “E” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈɛʁlən]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "aus Erlenholz bestehend oder gemacht".

erlen doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is erlen, spelled E-R-L-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    aus Erlenholz bestehend oder gemacht

This word in other languages

aldern(English)

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 "erlen"?
"erlen" is spelled E-R-L-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɛʁlən].
What does "erlen" mean?
As an adjective, "erlen" means: aus Erlenholz bestehend oder gemacht
How do you pronounce "erlen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "erlen" is [ˈɛʁlən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "erlen" come from?
"erlen" 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 “erlen”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is E-R-L-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈɛʁlən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

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