Which to use
“scale” and “slave” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,769
- “scale” frequency rank
- #27,060
- “slave” frequency rank
- 58829
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scale | slave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Waage | Mensch, der Eigentum eines anderen Menschen ist; Unfreier: Sklave, Sklavin |
Where the eye mixes scale and slave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scale with slave
A purely visual mix-up. scale ([skeɪl]) and slave ([sleɪv]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58829, 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]. slave is at rank #27,060, tagged as anoun, pronounced [sleɪv].
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 58829, this pair ranks #847,732 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scale vs slave
Shared letters: aels. Private to "scale": c. Private to "slave": v.
"scale" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "slave" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scale" and "slave" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "scale" or "slave" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "scale" and "slave" 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 "slave" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #847,732 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scale" and "slave" 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 #847,732 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.