Which to use
“Wahnsinn” is a noun and “wahnsinnig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,552
- “Wahnsinn” frequency rank
- #5,042
- “wahnsinnig” frequency rank
- 8594
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Wahnsinn | wahnsinnig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bestimmte Verhaltens- oder Denkmuster; historisch und umgangssprachlich auch Geisteskrankheit, bei der man nicht mehr für zurechnungsfähig gehalten wurde | vom Wahnsinn geprägt, an Wahnsinn erinnernd |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wahnsinn and wahnsinnig apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Wahnsinn and wahnsinnig 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Wahnsinn” sits inside “wahnsinnig” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8594, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Wahnsinn is recorded at frequency rank #3,552, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈvaːnzɪn]. wahnsinnig is at rank #5,042, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈvaːnˌzɪnɪç].
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 8594, this pair ranks #1,983,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Wahnsinn" and "wahnsinnig" be used interchangeably?
Remembering Wahnsinn vs wahnsinnig
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Wahnsinn”; for an adjective, it's “wahnsinnig”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Wahnsinn” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable