Which to use
“erschrecken” is a verb and “erschreckend” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,347
- “erschrecken” frequency rank
- #9,538
- “erschreckend” frequency rank
- 24885
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erschrecken | erschreckend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem einen Schrecken einflößen | in Angst und Unruhigkeit versetzend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erschrecken and erschreckend apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
erschrecken and erschreckend form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “erschrecken” sits inside “erschreckend” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erschrecken is recorded at frequency rank #15,347, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʁɛkn̩]. erschreckend is at rank #9,538, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʁɛkn̩t].
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 24885, this pair ranks #1,841,235 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erschrecken" and "erschreckend" be used interchangeably?
Remembering erschrecken vs erschreckend
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “erschrecken”; for an adjective, it's “erschreckend”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erschrecken” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable