ReaktionenvsRelationenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,917
“Reaktionen” frequency rank
#38,367
“Relationen” frequency rank
42284
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Reaktionen Relationen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Reaktion Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Relation

Where the eye mixes Reaktionen and Relationen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Reaktionen (CVVCCVVCVC) and Relationen (CVCVCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

10 ch
Reaktionen
10 ch
Relationen

Look-alike desk: Reaktionen vs Relationen

A purely visual mix-up. Reaktionen ([ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːnən]) and Relationen ([ʁelaˈt͡si̯oːnən]) 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 42284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Reaktionen is recorded at frequency rank #3,917, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːnən]. Relationen is at rank #38,367, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʁelaˈt͡si̯oːnən].

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 42284, this pair ranks #1,454,144 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Reaktionen vs Relationen

Shared letters: aeinort. Private to "Reaktionen": k. Private to "Relationen": l.

"Reaktionen" · 10 letters · shape CVVCCVVCVC  ·  "Relationen" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Reaktionen ← eraktionen · raektionen · reakitonen · reakktionen · reaktinoen · reaktioenn · reaktionenn · reaktionne
  • Relationen ← erlationen · realtionen · relaitonen · relatinoen · relatioenn · relationenn · relationne · relationnen

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Reaktionen" for "Relationen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˌʁeakˈt͡si̯oːnən] versus [ʁelaˈt͡si̯oːnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Reaktionen" or "Relationen"?
"Reaktionen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,917 in our German list, against #38,367 for "Relationen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Reaktionen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Relationen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,454,144 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Reaktionen" and "Relationen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Relationen vs relativen". 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 #1,454,144 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