ÄnderungvsAnregungWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Änderung” and “Anregung” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,632
“Änderung” frequency rank
#11,373
“Anregung” frequency rank
14005
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Änderung Anregung
Definition Wechsel eines Zustandes Vorschlag, etwas zu tun oder zu unterlassen

Where the eye mixes Änderung and Anregung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Änderung and Anregung follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
Änderung
8 ch
Anregung

Why the eye confuses Änderung with Anregung

A purely visual mix-up. Änderung ([ˈɛndəʁʊŋ]) and Anregung ([ˈanʁeːɡʊŋ]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14005, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Änderung is recorded at frequency rank #2,632, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛndəʁʊŋ]. Anregung is at rank #11,373, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanʁeːɡʊŋ].

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 14005, this pair ranks #1,954,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Änderung vs Anregung

Shared letters: egnru. Private to "Änderung": dä. Private to "Anregung": a.

"Änderung" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC  ·  "Anregung" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Anregung ← anergung · annregung · anreggung · anregnug · anregugn · anregungg · anregunng · anreugng

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Änderung" and "Anregung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛndəʁʊŋ] versus [ˈanʁeːɡʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Änderung" or "Anregung"?
"Änderung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,632 in our German list, against #11,373 for "Anregung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Änderung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Anregung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,954,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Änderung" and "Anregung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anregend vs Anregung". 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 #1,954,217 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list