Which to use
“schäbig” is an adjective and “schädigt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,762
- “schäbig” frequency rank
- #36,012
- “schädigt” frequency rank
- 68774
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schäbig | schädigt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Spuren von Schaben tragend; abgewetzt, abgenutzt, abgetragen sein, hässlich, alt, minderwertig, verschlissen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schädigen |
Where the eye mixes schäbig and schädigt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schäbig runs 7 letters (CCCVCVC) against schädigt's 8 (CCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schäbig and schädigt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schäbig is [ˈʃɛːbɪç] while schädigt is [ˈʃɛːdɪçt]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68774, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schäbig is recorded at frequency rank #32,762, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛːbɪç]. schädigt is at rank #36,012, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛːdɪçt].
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 68774, this pair ranks #497,227 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of schäbig vs schädigt
Shared letters: cghisä. Private to "schäbig": b. Private to "schädigt": dt.
"schäbig" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "schädigt" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schäbig" and "schädigt" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schäbig" or "schädigt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schäbig" and "schädigt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schäbig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schädigt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #497,227 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schäbig" and "schädigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädigen vs schädigt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #497,227 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.