Which to use
“Explosion” and “Explosive” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,422
- “Explosion” frequency rank
- #37,504
- “Explosive” frequency rank
- 43926
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Explosion | Explosive |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plötzliche, mit lautem Knall verbundene Volumenausdehnung auf Grund von chemischen oder kernphysikalischen Reaktionen bei gleichzeitigem Temperatur- und Druckanstieg, die zur Beschädigung oder Zerstörung der Umgebung führt | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Explosiv |
Where the eye mixes Explosion and Explosive
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Explosion with Explosive
A purely visual mix-up. Explosion ([ɛksploˈzi̯oːn]) and Explosive ([ɛksploˈziːvə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43926, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Explosion is recorded at frequency rank #6,422, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛksploˈzi̯oːn]. Explosive is at rank #37,504, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɛksploˈziːvə].
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 43926, this pair ranks #1,402,607 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Explosion vs Explosive
Shared letters: eilopsx. Private to "Explosion": n. Private to "Explosive": v.
"Explosion" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCVVC · "Explosive" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Explosion" and "Explosive" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Explosion" or "Explosive"?
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 "Explosion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Explosive" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,402,607 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Explosion" and "Explosive" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Explosiv vs Explosive". 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 #1,402,607 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.