ansprechenvsansprechendeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ansprechen is a verb, ansprechende is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ansprechen” is a verb and “ansprechende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,891
“ansprechen” frequency rank
#31,928
“ansprechende” frequency rank
38819
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ansprechen ansprechende
Definition anfangen mit jemandem zu sprechen; mit jemandem ein Gespräch beginnen Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ansprechend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ansprechen and ansprechende apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
ansprechen
12 ch
ansprechende

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ansprechen is [ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩] while ansprechende is [ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩də]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ansprechen” sits inside “ansprechende”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38819, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ansprechen is recorded at frequency rank #6,891, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩]. ansprechende is at rank #31,928, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈanˌʃpʁɛçn̩də].

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 38819, this pair ranks #1,553,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ansprechen vs ansprechende

Shared letters: acehnprs. Private to "ansprechen": -. Private to "ansprechende": d.

"ansprechen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC  ·  "ansprechende" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ansprechenannsprechen · anpsrechen · ansperchen · anspprechen · ansprcehen · ansprecchen · ansprecehn · ansprechenn
  • ansprechendeannsprechende · anpsrechende · ansperchende · anspprechende · ansprcehende · ansprecchende · ansprecehnde · ansprechedne

Frequency comparison

ansprechen#6,891
ansprechende#31,928

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ansprechen" and "ansprechende" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ansprechen" is a verb and "ansprechende" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ansprechen" or "ansprechende"?
"ansprechen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,891 in our German list, against #31,928 for "ansprechende". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ansprechen vs ansprechende

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ansprechen”; for an adjective, it's “ansprechende”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ansprechen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list