scannenvsstaunenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,396
“scannen” frequency rank
#10,752
“staunen” frequency rank
31148
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scannen staunen
Definition Printmedien mit Hilfe eines Scanners digitalisieren sich über etwas wundern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set scannen and staunen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
scannen
7 ch
staunen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. scannen ([ˈskɛnən]) and staunen ([ˈʃtaʊ̯nən]) 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 31148, 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]. staunen is at rank #10,752, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʊ̯nən].

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 31148, this pair ranks #1,733,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of scannen vs staunen

Shared letters: aens. Private to "scannen": c. Private to "staunen": tu.

"scannen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "staunen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scannencsannen · sacnnen · scanen · scanenn · scannenn · scannne · sccannen · scnanen
  • staunensatunen · sstaunen · stanuen · stauenn · staunenn · staunne · staunnen · sttaunen

Frequency comparison

scannen#20,396
staunen#10,752

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scannen" and "staunen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈskɛnən] versus [ˈʃtaʊ̯nən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "scannen" or "staunen"?
"staunen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,752 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 staunen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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