Which to use
“schrecklich” and “schreckliches” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,646
- “schrecklich” frequency rank
- #23,698
- “schreckliches” frequency rank
- 28344
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schrecklich | schreckliches |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (Angst und) Schrecken, Entsetzen auslösend | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schrecklich |
Where the eye mixes schrecklich and schreckliches
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. schrecklich runs 11 letters (CCCCVCCCVCC) against schreckliches's 13 (CCCCVCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schrecklich and schreckliches
A purely visual mix-up. schrecklich ([ˈʃʁɛklɪç]) and schreckliches ([ˈʃʁɛklɪçəs]) 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 “schreckliches”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28344, 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]. schreckliches is at rank #23,698, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃʁɛklɪçəs].
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 28344, this pair ranks #1,786,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schrecklich vs schreckliches
Shared letters: cehiklrs. Private to "schrecklich": -. Private to "schreckliches": -.
"schrecklich" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCC · "schreckliches" · 13 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schrecklich ← cshrecklich · scchrecklich · schercklich · schhrecklich · schrceklich · schreccklich · schreckilch · schreckklich
- schreckliches ← cshreckliches · scchreckliches · scherckliches · schhreckliches · schrcekliches · schrecckliches · schreckilches · schreckkliches
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schrecklich" and "schreckliches" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "schrecklich" vs "schreckliches" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "schreckliches" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,786,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schrecklich" and "schreckliches" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schrecklicher vs schreckliches". 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 #1,786,460 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.