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 eye mixes schrecklich and schrecklichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. schrecklich runs 11 letters (CCCCVCCCVCC) against schrecklichen's 13 (CCCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schrecklich vs schrecklichen
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
- schrecklich ← cshrecklich · scchrecklich · schercklich · schhrecklich · schrceklich · schreccklich · schreckilch · schreckklich
- schrecklichen ← cshrecklichen · scchrecklichen · schercklichen · schhrecklichen · schrceklichen · schreccklichen · schreckilchen · schreckklichen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schrecklich" and "schrecklichen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schrecklich" or "schrecklichen" show up more?
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 "schrecklich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schrecklichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,925,439 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schrecklich" and "schrecklichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schrecklichen 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 #1,925,439 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.