Which to use
“erschütternd” is a verb and “Erschütterung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,918
- “erschütternd” frequency rank
- #41,788
- “Erschütterung” frequency rank
- 81706
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erschütternd | Erschütterung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partizip Präsens des Verbs erschüttern | heftige, wiederholte Stöße des Bodens |
Where the eye mixes erschütternd and Erschütterung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. erschütternd runs 12 letters (VCCCCVCCVCCC) against Erschütterung's 13 (VCCCCVCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses erschütternd with Erschütterung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erschütternd is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʏtɐnt] while Erschütterung is [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʏtəʁʊŋ]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81706, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erschütternd is recorded at frequency rank #39,918, classified as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃʏtɐnt]. 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 81706, this pair ranks #170,691 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of erschütternd vs Erschütterung
Shared letters: cehnrstü. Private to "erschütternd": d. Private to "Erschütterung": gu.
"erschütternd" · 12 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCCC · "Erschütterung" · 13 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erschütternd" and "Erschütterung" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "erschütternd" or "Erschütterung" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "erschütternd" 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 #170,691 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erschütternd" and "Erschütterung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erschütternd vs erschütterte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #170,691 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.