Which to use
“Angst” and “Ängste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #578
- “Angst” frequency rank
- #7,704
- “Ängste” frequency rank
- 8282
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Angst | Ängste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gefühl der (existentiellen) Furcht oder Sorge, etwa bei einer Bedrohung | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Angst |
Where the eye mixes Angst and Ängste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Angst with Ängste
A purely visual mix-up. Angst ([aŋst]) and Ängste ([ˈɛŋstə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8282, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Angst is recorded at frequency rank #578, classified as anoun, pronounced [aŋst]. Ängste is at rank #7,704, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛŋstə].
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 8282, this pair ranks #1,984,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Angst vs Ängste
Shared letters: gnst. Private to "Angst": a. Private to "Ängste": eä.
"Angst" · 5 letters · shape VCCCC · "Ängste" · 6 letters · shape VCCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Angst ← agnst · anggst · angsst · angstt · angts · anngst · ansgt · nagst
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Angst" for "Ängste" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Angst" or "Ängste"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Angst" and "Ängste" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Angst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ängste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,984,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Angst" and "Ängste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ängste vs ärmste". 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 #1,984,903 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.