Which to use
“scale” is a noun and “schälen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,769
- “scale” frequency rank
- #27,485
- “schälen” frequency rank
- 59254
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scale | schälen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Waage | etwas von einer Schale, Haut, Hülle, Pelle befreien; eine Schale, Haut, Hülle, Pelle beseitigen, entfernen |
Where the eye mixes scale and schälen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. scale runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against schälen's 7 (CCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses scale with schälen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scale is [skeɪl] while schälen is [ˈʃɛːlən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59254, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scale is recorded at frequency rank #31,769, classified as anoun, pronounced [skeɪl]. schälen is at rank #27,485, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛːlən].
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 59254, this pair ranks #831,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scale vs schälen
Shared letters: cels. Private to "scale": a. Private to "schälen": hnä.
"scale" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "schälen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- scale ← csale · sacle · scael · scalle · sccale · sclae · sscale
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scale" and "schälen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "scale" or "schälen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "scale" and "schälen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "scale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schälen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #831,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scale" and "schälen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sake vs scale". 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 #831,470 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.