ÄngstenvsÄstenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#21,497
“Ängsten” frequency rank
#28,964
“Ästen” frequency rank
50461
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ängsten Ästen
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Angst Dativ Plural des Substantivs Ast

Where the eye mixes Ängsten and Ästen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Ängsten runs 7 letters (VCCCCVC) against Ästen's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Ängsten
5 ch
Ästen

Visual trap between Ängsten and Ästen

A purely visual mix-up. Ängsten ([ˈɛŋstn̩]) and Ästen ([ˈɛstn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ängsten is recorded at frequency rank #21,497, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛŋstn̩]. Ästen is at rank #28,964, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛstn̩].

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 50461, this pair ranks #1,172,838 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Ängsten vs Ästen

Shared letters: enstä. Private to "Ängsten": g. Private to "Ästen": -.

"Ängsten" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC  ·  "Ästen" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Ängsten" and "Ästen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɛŋstn̩] versus [ˈɛstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Ängsten" vs "Ästen" - which ranks higher?
"Ängsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,497 in our German list, against #28,964 for "Ästen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Ängsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ästen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,172,838 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Ängsten" and "Ästen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ästen vs Auster". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,172,838 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