Which to use
“erstaunlich” and “erstaunliche” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,813
- “erstaunlich” frequency rank
- #13,355
- “erstaunliche” frequency rank
- 17168
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erstaunlich | erstaunliche |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ungewöhnlich und dabei etwas anderes erwartend, dabei ein (leichtes) Staunen oder ein Gefühl des Befremdens auslösend | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erstaunlich |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erstaunlich and erstaunliche apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. erstaunlich ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nlɪç]) and erstaunliche ([ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nlɪçə]) 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) - “erstaunlich” sits inside “erstaunliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17168, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erstaunlich is recorded at frequency rank #3,813, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nlɪç]. erstaunliche is at rank #13,355, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈʃtaʊ̯nlɪçə].
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 17168, this pair ranks #1,929,778 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erstaunlich vs erstaunliche
Shared letters: acehilnrstu. Private to "erstaunlich": -. Private to "erstaunliche": -.
"erstaunlich" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVVCCVCC · "erstaunliche" · 12 letters · shape VCCCVVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- erstaunlich ← errstaunlich · ersatunlich · ersstaunlich · erstanulich · erstaulnich · erstaunilch · erstaunlcih · erstaunlicch
- erstaunliche ← errstaunliche · ersatunliche · ersstaunliche · erstanuliche · erstaulniche · erstaunilche · erstaunlcihe · erstaunlicche
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erstaunlich" and "erstaunliche" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erstaunlich" or "erstaunliche"?
Remembering erstaunlich vs erstaunliche
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erstaunlich” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable