scalavsSchaleWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#24,908
“scala” frequency rank
#8,451
“Schale” frequency rank
33359
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scala Schale
Definition die Skala eine feste Schutzhülle, zum Beispiel bei Früchten, Samen, Vogeleiern, Lebensmitteln

Letter map: scala vs Schale

Shared letters muted; letters that set scala and Schale apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.

5 ch
scala
6 ch
Schale

Pair insight - scala / Schale

scala and Schale are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33359, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

scala is recorded at frequency rank #24,908, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. Schale is at rank #8,451, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaːlə].

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 33359, this pair ranks #1,687,657 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of scala vs Schale

Shared letters: acls. Private to "scala": -. Private to "Schale": eh.

"scala" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "Schale" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scalacsala · sacla · scaal · scalla · sccala · sclaa · sscala
  • Schalecshale · scahle · scchale · schael · schalle · schhale · schlae · shcale

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scala" and "Schale" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "scala" or "Schale"?
"Schale" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,451 in our German list, against #24,908 for "scala". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

You've compared "scala" and "Schale". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "scala" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schale" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,687,657 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "scala" and "Schale" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "puzzles vs scala". 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 #1,687,657 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list