ReaktionvsrelationWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,900
“Reaktion” frequency rank
#11,510
“relation” frequency rank
13410
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Reaktion relation
Definition (Gegen-)Handlung beziehungsweise Wirkung, die aus einer vorhergehenden Handlung oder einem Reiz folgt Beziehung, Verhältnis

Where the eye mixes Reaktion and relation

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

8 ch
Reaktion
8 ch
relation

Look-alike desk: Reaktion vs relation

A purely visual mix-up. Reaktion ([ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːn]) and relation ([ʁə.la.sjɔ̃]) 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 13410, 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]. relation is at rank #11,510, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁə.la.sjɔ̃].

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 13410, this pair ranks #1,958,173 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Reaktion vs relation

Shared letters: aeinort. Private to "Reaktion": k. Private to "relation": l.

"Reaktion" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVVC  ·  "relation" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Reaktioneraktion · raektion · reakiton · reakktion · reaktino · reaktionn · reaktoin · reakttion
  • relationerlation · realtion · relaiton · relatino · relationn · relatoin · relattion · rellation

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Reaktion" and "relation" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːn] versus [ʁə.la.sjɔ̃]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Reaktion" vs "relation" - which ranks higher?
"Reaktion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,900 in our German list, against #11,510 for "relation". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Reaktion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "relation" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,958,173 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Reaktion" and "relation" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Reaktion vs reaktionär". 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 #1,958,173 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