ansteckendvsAnsteckungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ansteckend is a adjective, Ansteckung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ansteckend” is an adjective and “Ansteckung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,827
“ansteckend” frequency rank
#31,929
“Ansteckung” frequency rank
52756
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ansteckend Ansteckung
Definition eine Krankheit verursacht durch Krankheitserreger (Viren, Bakterien, Pilze), die von einem Menschen auf den nächsten übertragen werden kann Übertragung einer Krankheit

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ansteckend and Ansteckung apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
ansteckend
10 ch
Ansteckung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ansteckend is [ˈanˌʃtɛkn̩t] while Ansteckung is [ˈanˌʃtɛkʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ansteckend is recorded at frequency rank #20,827, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtɛkn̩t]. Ansteckung is at rank #31,929, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈanˌʃtɛkʊŋ].

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 52756, this pair ranks #1,084,466 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ansteckend vs Ansteckung

Shared letters: aceknst. Private to "ansteckend": d. Private to "Ansteckung": gu.

"ansteckend" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Ansteckung" · 10 letters · shape VCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ansteckendannsteckend · ansetckend · anssteckend · anstcekend · anstecckend · ansteceknd · ansteckedn · ansteckendd
  • Ansteckungannsteckung · ansetckung · anssteckung · anstcekung · anstecckung · ansteckkung · anstecknug · ansteckugn

Frequency comparison

ansteckend#20,827
Ansteckung#31,929

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ansteckend" and "Ansteckung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ansteckend" is an adjective and "Ansteckung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ansteckend" or "Ansteckung"?
"ansteckend" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,827 in our German list, against #31,929 for "Ansteckung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ansteckend vs Ansteckung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ansteckend”; for a noun, it's “Ansteckung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ansteckend” 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