Which to use
“stillschweigen” is a verb and “stillschweigend” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,289
- “stillschweigen” frequency rank
- #35,468
- “stillschweigend” frequency rank
- 67757
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stillschweigen | stillschweigend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nichts sagen, sondern still sein; schweigen | ohne über etwas zu sprechen, ohne Absprache (mit Dritten) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stillschweigen and stillschweigend apart are highlighted. They share 14 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
stillschweigen and stillschweigend 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) - “stillschweigen” sits inside “stillschweigend” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67757, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stillschweigen is recorded at frequency rank #32,289, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɪlˌʃvaɪ̯ɡn̩]. stillschweigend is at rank #35,468, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtɪlˌʃvaɪ̯ɡənt].
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 67757, this pair ranks #529,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "stillschweigen" and "stillschweigend" be used interchangeably?
Remembering stillschweigen vs stillschweigend
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “stillschweigen”; for an adjective, it's “stillschweigend”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stillschweigen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable