Which to use
“entspannen” and “entspannend” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,413
- “entspannen” frequency rank
- #26,850
- “entspannend” frequency rank
- 33263
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entspannen | entspannend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas die mechanische Spannung nehmen | Partizip Präsens des Verbs entspannen |
Where the eye mixes entspannen and entspannend
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. entspannen runs 10 letters (VCCCCVCCVC) against entspannend's 11 (VCCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between entspannen and entspannend
A purely visual mix-up. entspannen ([ɛntˈʃpanən]) and entspannend ([ɛntˈʃpanənt]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “entspannen” sits inside “entspannend”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33263, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entspannen is recorded at frequency rank #6,413, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃpanən]. entspannend is at rank #26,850, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛntˈʃpanənt].
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 33263, this pair ranks #1,689,780 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of entspannen vs entspannend
Shared letters: aenpst. Private to "entspannen": -. Private to "entspannend": d.
"entspannen" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC · "entspannend" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- entspannen ← enntspannen · enstpannen · entpsannen · entsapnnen · entspanen · entspanenn · entspannenn · entspannne
- entspannend ← enntspannend · enstpannend · entpsannend · entsapnnend · entspanend · entspanennd · entspannedn · entspannendd
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "entspannen" for "entspannend" ever safe?
Frequency check: "entspannen" vs "entspannend" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "entspannen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "entspannend" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,689,780 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "entspannen" and "entspannend" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "entspannend vs entspannten". 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 #1,689,780 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.