abschreckendvsAbschreckungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: abschreckend is a adjective, Abschreckung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“abschreckend” is an adjective and “Abschreckung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,034
“abschreckend” frequency rank
#25,870
“Abschreckung” frequency rank
60904
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abschreckend Abschreckung
Definition etwas, das jemanden (oder etwas) fern halten soll, indem es erschreckend wirkt Vorgang, um jemanden in Angst oder Schrecken zu versetzen und von etwas abzuhalten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abschreckend and Abschreckung apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
abschreckend
12 ch
Abschreckung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abschreckend is [ˈapˌʃʁɛkn̩t] while Abschreckung is [ˈapˌʃʁɛkʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60904, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abschreckend is recorded at frequency rank #35,034, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈapˌʃʁɛkn̩t]. Abschreckung is at rank #25,870, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃʁɛkʊŋ].

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 60904, this pair ranks #769,558 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abschreckend vs Abschreckung

Shared letters: abcehknrs. Private to "abschreckend": d. Private to "Abschreckung": gu.

"abschreckend" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Abschreckung" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abschreckendabbschreckend · abcshreckend · abscchreckend · abscherckend · abschhreckend · abschrcekend · abschrecckend · abschreceknd
  • Abschreckungabbschreckung · abcshreckung · abscchreckung · abscherckung · abschhreckung · abschrcekung · abschrecckung · abschreckkung

Frequency comparison

abschreckend#35,034
Abschreckung#25,870

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abschreckend" and "Abschreckung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "abschreckend" is an adjective and "Abschreckung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "abschreckend" or "Abschreckung"?
"Abschreckung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,870 in our German list, against #35,034 for "abschreckend". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abschreckend vs Abschreckung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “abschreckend”; for a noun, it's “Abschreckung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abschreckend” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list