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 eye mixes ansprechen and ansprechende
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. ansprechen runs 10 letters (VCCCCVCCVC) against ansprechende's 12 (VCCCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ansprechen and ansprechende
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
- ansprechen ← annsprechen · anpsrechen · ansperchen · anspprechen · ansprcehen · ansprecchen · ansprecehn · ansprechenn
- ansprechende ← annsprechende · anpsrechende · ansperchende · anspprechende · ansprcehende · ansprecchende · ansprecehnde · ansprechedne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ansprechen" and "ansprechende" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ansprechen" or "ansprechende"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ansprechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ansprechende" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,553,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ansprechen" and "ansprechende" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ansprechende vs ansprechenden". 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 #1,553,751 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.