Which to use
“erschreckend” is an adjective and “erschrocken” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,538
- “erschreckend” frequency rank
- #13,814
- “erschrocken” frequency rank
- 23352
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erschreckend | erschrocken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in Angst und Unruhigkeit versetzend | Partizip Perfekt des Verbs erschrecken |
Where the eye mixes erschreckend and erschrocken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. erschreckend runs 12 letters (VCCCCCVCCVCC) against erschrocken's 11 (VCCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between erschreckend and erschrocken
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erschreckend is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʁɛkn̩t] while erschrocken is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʁɔkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23352, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erschreckend is recorded at frequency rank #9,538, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʁɛkn̩t]. erschrocken is at rank #13,814, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʁɔkn̩].
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 23352, this pair ranks #1,862,396 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erschreckend vs erschrocken
Shared letters: cehknrs. Private to "erschreckend": d. Private to "erschrocken": o.
"erschreckend" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVCC · "erschrocken" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erschreckend ← ercshreckend · errschreckend · erscchreckend · erscherckend · erschhreckend · erschrcekend · erschrecckend · erschreceknd
- erschrocken ← ercshrocken · errschrocken · erscchrocken · erschhrocken · erschorcken · erschrcoken · erschroccken · erschrocekn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erschreckend" and "erschrocken" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erschreckend" or "erschrocken"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erschreckend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erschrocken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,862,396 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erschreckend" and "erschrocken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erschreckend vs erschreckende". 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 #1,862,396 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.