scannenvsScannerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: scannen is a verb, Scanner is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“scannen” is a verb and “Scanner” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,396
“scannen” frequency rank
#15,741
“Scanner” frequency rank
36137
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scannen Scanner
Definition Printmedien mit Hilfe eines Scanners digitalisieren Gerät zur berührungslosen digitalen Datenerfassung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set scannen and Scanner apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
scannen
7 ch
Scanner

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scannen is [ˈskɛnən] while Scanner is [ˈskɛnɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “scannen” becomes r in “Scanner”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

scannen is recorded at frequency rank #20,396, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈskɛnən]. Scanner is at rank #15,741, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈskɛnɐ].

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 36137, this pair ranks #1,623,011 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of scannen vs Scanner

Shared letters: acens. Private to "scannen": -. Private to "Scanner": r.

"scannen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "Scanner" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scannencsannen · sacnnen · scanen · scanenn · scannenn · scannne · sccannen · scnanen
  • Scannercsanner · sacnner · scanenr · scaner · scannerr · scannre · sccanner · scnaner

Frequency comparison

scannen#20,396
Scanner#15,741

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scannen" and "Scanner" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "scannen" is a verb and "Scanner" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "scannen" or "Scanner"?
"Scanner" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,741 in our German list, against #20,396 for "scannen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering scannen vs Scanner

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “scannen”; for a noun, it's “Scanner”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “scannen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list