ReaktionvsReaktionenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Reaktion” and “Reaktionen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,900
“Reaktion” frequency rank
#3,917
“Reaktionen” frequency rank
5817
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Reaktion Reaktionen
Definition (Gegen-)Handlung beziehungsweise Wirkung, die aus einer vorhergehenden Handlung oder einem Reiz folgt Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Reaktion

Where the eye mixes Reaktion and Reaktionen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Reaktion runs 8 letters (CVVCCVVC) against Reaktionen's 10 (CVVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Reaktion
10 ch
Reaktionen

Look-alike desk: Reaktion vs Reaktionen

A purely visual mix-up. Reaktion ([ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːn]) and Reaktionen ([ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːnən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Reaktion” sits inside “Reaktionen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Reaktion is recorded at frequency rank #1,900, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːn]. Reaktionen is at rank #3,917, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːnən].

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 5817, this pair ranks #1,993,643 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Reaktion vs Reaktionen

Shared letters: aeiknort. Private to "Reaktion": -. Private to "Reaktionen": -.

"Reaktion" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVVC  ·  "Reaktionen" · 10 letters · shape CVVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Reaktion ← eraktion · raektion · reakiton · reakktion · reaktino · reaktionn · reaktoin · reakttion
  • Reaktionen ← eraktionen · raektionen · reakitonen · reakktionen · reaktinoen · reaktioenn · reaktionenn · reaktionne

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Reaktion" and "Reaktionen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːn] versus [ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Reaktion" vs "Reaktionen" - which ranks higher?
"Reaktion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,900 in our German list, against #3,917 for "Reaktionen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Reaktion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Reaktionen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,993,643 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Reaktion" and "Reaktionen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reaktionär vs Reaktionen". 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 #1,993,643 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list