Which to use
“erschüttern” is a verb and “Erschütterung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,563
- “erschüttern” frequency rank
- #41,788
- “Erschütterung” frequency rank
- 71351
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erschüttern | Erschütterung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in schwingende Bewegung bringen | heftige, wiederholte Stöße des Bodens |
Where the eye mixes erschüttern and Erschütterung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. erschüttern runs 11 letters (VCCCCVCCVCC) against Erschütterung's 13 (VCCCCVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between erschüttern and Erschütterung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erschüttern is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʏtɐn] while Erschütterung is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʏtəʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71351, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erschüttern is recorded at frequency rank #29,563, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʏtɐn]. Erschütterung is at rank #41,788, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʏtəʁʊŋ].
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 71351, this pair ranks #419,370 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of erschüttern vs Erschütterung
Shared letters: cehnrstü. Private to "erschüttern": -. Private to "Erschütterung": gu.
"erschüttern" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCC · "Erschütterung" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "erschüttern" for "Erschütterung" ever safe?
Frequency check: "erschüttern" vs "Erschütterung" - 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 "erschüttern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Erschütterung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #419,370 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erschüttern" and "Erschütterung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erschütternd vs Erschütterung". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #419,370 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.