Which to use
“Abschreckung” and “Abschreibung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,870
- “Abschreckung” frequency rank
- #43,683
- “Abschreibung” frequency rank
- 69553
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Abschreckung | Abschreibung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Vorgang, um jemanden in Angst oder Schrecken zu versetzen und von etwas abzuhalten | die Verringerung des Buchwerts von Sachanlagen aufgrund von Abnutzung, oder von Forderungen aufgrund von Uneinbringlichkeit |
Where the eye mixes Abschreckung and Abschreibung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. Abschreckung (VCCCCCVCCVCC) and Abschreibung (VCCCCCVVCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Abschreckung and Abschreibung
A purely visual mix-up. Abschreckung ([ˈapˌʃʁɛkʊŋ]) and Abschreibung ([ˈapʃʁaɪ̯bʊŋ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69553, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Abschreckung is recorded at frequency rank #25,870, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈapˌʃʁɛkʊŋ]. Abschreibung is at rank #43,683, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈapʃʁaɪ̯bʊŋ].
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 69553, this pair ranks #473,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Abschreckung vs Abschreibung
Shared letters: abceghnrsu. Private to "Abschreckung": k. Private to "Abschreibung": i.
"Abschreckung" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCC · "Abschreibung" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Abschreckung ← abbschreckung · abcshreckung · abscchreckung · abscherckung · abschhreckung · abschrcekung · abschrecckung · abschreckkung
- Abschreibung ← abbschreibung · abcshreibung · abscchreibung · abscheribung · abschhreibung · abschrebiung · abschreibbung · abschreibnug
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Abschreckung" and "Abschreibung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Abschreckung" vs "Abschreibung" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Abschreckung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Abschreibung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #473,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Abschreckung" and "Abschreibung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Abschreibung vs Abschreibungen". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #473,090 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.