Which to use
“schrecklich” and “schreckliche” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,646
- “schrecklich” frequency rank
- #11,962
- “schreckliche” frequency rank
- 16608
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schrecklich | schreckliche |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (Angst und) Schrecken, Entsetzen auslösend | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schrecklich |
Where the eye mixes schrecklich and schreckliche
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. schrecklich runs 11 letters (CCCCVCCCVCC) against schreckliche's 12 (CCCCVCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schrecklich and schreckliche
A purely visual mix-up. schrecklich ([ˈʃʁɛklɪç]) and schreckliche ([ˈʃʁɛklɪçə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “schrecklich” sits inside “schreckliche”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16608, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schrecklich is recorded at frequency rank #4,646, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃʁɛklɪç]. schreckliche is at rank #11,962, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃʁɛklɪçə].
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 16608, this pair ranks #1,934,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schrecklich vs schreckliche
Shared letters: cehiklrs. Private to "schrecklich": -. Private to "schreckliche": -.
"schrecklich" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCC · "schreckliche" · 12 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schrecklich ← cshrecklich · scchrecklich · schercklich · schhrecklich · schrceklich · schreccklich · schreckilch · schreckklich
- schreckliche ← cshreckliche · scchreckliche · scherckliche · schhreckliche · schrcekliche · schrecckliche · schreckilche · schreckkliche
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schrecklich" and "schreckliche" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schrecklich" vs "schreckliche" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schrecklich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schreckliche" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,934,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schrecklich" and "schreckliche" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schreckliche vs schrecklicher". 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 #1,934,434 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.