Which to use
“scale” is a noun and “schäme” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,769
- “scale” frequency rank
- #14,170
- “schäme” frequency rank
- 45939
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scale | schäme |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Waage | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schämen |
Where the eye mixes scale and schäme
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scale with schäme
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scale is [skeɪl] while schäme is [ˈʃɛːmə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 45939, 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]. schäme is at rank #14,170, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛːmə].
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 45939, this pair ranks #1,336,024 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scale vs schäme
Shared letters: ces. Private to "scale": al. Private to "schäme": hmä.
"scale" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "schäme" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- scale ← csale · sacle · scael · scalle · sccale · sclae · sscale
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scale" and "schäme" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "scale" or "schäme"?
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 "scale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schäme" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,336,024 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scale" and "schäme" 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 #1,336,024 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.