Which to use
“Schreck” and “Schrecken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,788
- “Schreck” frequency rank
- #6,721
- “Schrecken” frequency rank
- 19509
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schreck | Schrecken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | heftige Emotion, die durch die Wahrnehmung von etwas Unerwartetem oder Bedrohlichem ausgelöst wird | durch ein unerwartetes, schreckliches Ereignis ausgelöstes Entsetzen |
Where the eye mixes Schreck and Schrecken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Schreck and Schrecken
A purely visual mix-up. Schreck ([ʃʁɛk]) and Schrecken ([ˈʃʁɛkn̩]) 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) - “Schreck” sits inside “Schrecken”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19509, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schreck is recorded at frequency rank #12,788, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃʁɛk]. Schrecken is at rank #6,721, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʁɛkn̩].
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 19509, this pair ranks #1,907,583 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schreck vs Schrecken
Shared letters: cehkrs. Private to "Schreck": -. Private to "Schrecken": n.
"Schreck" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC · "Schrecken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schreck" and "Schrecken" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Schreck" vs "Schrecken" - which ranks higher?
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 "Schreck" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schrecken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,907,583 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schreck" and "Schrecken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlick vs Schreck". 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 #1,907,583 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.