schrecklichvsschrecklichenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,646
“schrecklich” frequency rank
#13,011
“schrecklichen” frequency rank
17657
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schrecklich schrecklichen
Definition (Angst und) Schrecken, Entsetzen auslösend Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schrecklich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schrecklich and schrecklichen apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
schrecklich
13 ch
schrecklichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schrecklich ([ˈʃʁɛklɪç]) and schrecklichen ([ˈʃʁɛklɪçn̩]) 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) - “schrecklich” sits inside “schrecklichen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17657, 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]. schrecklichen is at rank #13,011, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃʁɛklɪçn̩].

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 17657, this pair ranks #1,925,439 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schrecklich vs schrecklichen

Shared letters: cehiklrs. Private to "schrecklich": -. Private to "schrecklichen": n.

"schrecklich" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "schrecklichen" · 13 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schrecklichcshrecklich · scchrecklich · schercklich · schhrecklich · schrceklich · schreccklich · schreckilch · schreckklich
  • schrecklichencshrecklichen · scchrecklichen · schercklichen · schhrecklichen · schrceklichen · schreccklichen · schreckilchen · schreckklichen

Frequency comparison

schrecklich#4,646
schrecklichen#13,011

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schrecklich" and "schrecklichen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʁɛklɪç] versus [ˈʃʁɛklɪçn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schrecklich" or "schrecklichen"?
"schrecklich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,646 in our German list, against #13,011 for "schrecklichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schrecklich vs schrecklichen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schrecklich” 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