Which to use
“abschrecken” is a verb and “abschreckend” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,484
- “abschrecken” frequency rank
- #35,034
- “abschreckend” frequency rank
- 55518
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abschrecken | abschreckend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Angst oder Zweifel erzeugen und jemanden damit fernhalten | etwas, das jemanden (oder etwas) fern halten soll, indem es erschreckend wirkt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abschrecken and abschreckend apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abschrecken is [ˈapˌʃʁɛkn̩] while abschreckend is [ˈapˌʃʁɛkn̩t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “abschrecken” sits inside “abschreckend”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55518, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abschrecken is recorded at frequency rank #20,484, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈapˌʃʁɛkn̩]. abschreckend is at rank #35,034, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈapˌʃʁɛkn̩t].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 55518, this pair ranks #976,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abschrecken vs abschreckend
Shared letters: abcehknrs. Private to "abschrecken": -. Private to "abschreckend": d.
"abschrecken" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC · "abschreckend" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abschrecken ← abbschrecken · abcshrecken · abscchrecken · abschercken · abschhrecken · abschrceken · abschreccken · abschrecekn
- abschreckend ← abbschreckend · abcshreckend · abscchreckend · abscherckend · abschhreckend · abschrcekend · abschrecckend · abschreceknd
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abschrecken" and "abschreckend" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abschrecken" or "abschreckend"?
Remembering abschrecken vs abschreckend
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “abschrecken”; for an adjective, it's “abschreckend”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abschrecken” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable