einschüchternvseinzuschüchternWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,690
“einschüchtern” frequency rank
#48,103
“einzuschüchtern” frequency rank
72793
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature einschüchtern einzuschüchtern
Definition Furcht bei jemandem auslösen; jemanden unsicher machen erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs einschüchtern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set einschüchtern and einzuschüchtern apart are highlighted. They share 13 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

13 ch
einschüchtern
15 ch
einzuschüchtern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. einschüchtern ([ˈaɪ̯nˌʃʏçtɐn]) and einzuschüchtern ([ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌʃʏçtɐn]) 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 72793, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

einschüchtern is recorded at frequency rank #24,690, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nˌʃʏçtɐn]. einzuschüchtern is at rank #48,103, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌʃʏçtɐn].

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 72793, this pair ranks #378,398 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of einschüchtern vs einzuschüchtern

Shared letters: cehinrstü. Private to "einschüchtern": -. Private to "einzuschüchtern": uz.

"einschüchtern" · 13 letters · shape VVCCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "einzuschüchtern" · 15 letters · shape VVCCVCCCVCCCVCC

Frequency comparison

einschüchtern#24,690
einzuschüchtern#48,103

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "einschüchtern" and "einzuschüchtern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɪ̯nˌʃʏçtɐn] versus [ˈaɪ̯nt͡suˌʃʏçtɐn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "einschüchtern" or "einzuschüchtern"?
"einschüchtern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,690 in our German list, against #48,103 for "einzuschüchtern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering einschüchtern vs einzuschüchtern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “einschüchtern” 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