SchreckvsschrecktWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Schreck is a noun, schreckt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Schreck” is a noun and “schreckt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,788
“Schreck” frequency rank
#23,304
“schreckt” frequency rank
36092
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schreck schreckt
Definition heftige Emotion, die durch die Wahrnehmung von etwas Unerwartetem oder Bedrohlichem ausgelöst wird 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schrecken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schreck and schreckt apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Schreck
8 ch
schreckt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Schreck and schreckt form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Schreck” sits inside “schreckt” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36092, 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]. schreckt is at rank #23,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʁɛkt].

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 36092, this pair ranks #1,624,107 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

Schreck#12,788
schreckt#23,304

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schreck" and "schreckt" be used interchangeably?
No, "Schreck" and "schreckt" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering Schreck vs schreckt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Schreck”; for a verb, it's “schreckt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Schreck” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list