ertragen

[ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]

/[ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“ertragen” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #4,878 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,878
frequency rank, German
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine unangenehme oder schwierige Situation hinnehmen und deswegen nicht die Beherrschung verlieren oder zusammenbrechen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ertragen vs Etagen
63% similar
ertragen vs erwägen
63% similar
ertragen vs ertränken
67% similar

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

Key facts for ertragen
PropertyValue
Headwordertragen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]
Letters8
Frequency rank#4,878
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ertragen” 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). ertragen 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 ertragen is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #4,878 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "eine unangenehme oder schwierige Situation hinnehmen und deswegen nicht die Beherrschung verlieren oder zusammenbrechen".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for ertragen, with forms such as "errtagen", "errtragen", and "ertargen". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "Etagen", "erwägen", "ertränken", and more, 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 any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is ertragen, spelled E-R-T-R-A-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine unangenehme oder schwierige Situation hinnehmen und deswegen nicht die Beherrschung verlieren oder zusammenbrechen

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: errtagen,errtragen,ertargen,ertraegn,ertragenn,ertraggen,ertragne,ertrgaen,ertrragen,erttragen,etrragen,retragen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

errtagen2errtragen1ertargen2ertraegn2ertragenn1ertraggen1ertragne2ertrgaen2
Edit distance from "ertragen"

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 "ertragen"?
"ertragen" is spelled E-R-T-R-A-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩].
What does "ertragen" mean?
As a verb, "ertragen" means: eine unangenehme oder schwierige Situation hinnehmen und deswegen nicht die Beherrschung verlieren oder zusammenbrechen
What words are commonly confused with "ertragen"?
"ertragen" is commonly confused with "Etagen", "erwägen", "ertränken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ertragen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ertragen" is [ɛɐ̯ˈtʁaːɡn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ertragen" come from?
"ertragen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “ertragen”

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

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