ÄngstevsÄngstenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#7,704
“Ängste” frequency rank
#21,497
“Ängsten” frequency rank
29201
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ängste Ängsten
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Angst Dativ Plural des Substantivs Angst

Where the eye mixes Ängste and Ängsten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Ängste runs 6 letters (VCCCCV) against Ängsten's 7 (VCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Ängste
7 ch
Ängsten

Visual trap between Ängste and Ängsten

A purely visual mix-up. Ängste ([ˈɛŋstə]) and Ängsten ([ˈɛŋstn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Ängste” sits inside “Ängsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29201, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ängste is recorded at frequency rank #7,704, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛŋstə]. Ängsten is at rank #21,497, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛŋstn̩].

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 29201, this pair ranks #1,771,196 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ängste vs Ängsten

Shared letters: egnstä. Private to "Ängste": -. Private to "Ängsten": -.

"Ängste" · 6 letters · shape VCCCCV  ·  "Ängsten" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Ängste" and "Ängsten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛŋstə] versus [ˈɛŋstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ängste" or "Ängsten"?
"Ängste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,704 in our German list, against #21,497 for "Ängsten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Ängste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ängsten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,771,196 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Ängste" and "Ängsten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ängsten vs ärgsten". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,771,196 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