SchädelvsSchädelsTell them apart

Which to use

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

#6,970
“Schädel” frequency rank
#48,468
“Schädels” frequency rank
55438
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schädel Schädels
Definition die das Gehirn schützenden Knochen der Hirnschale Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schädel

Where the eye mixes Schädel and Schädels

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Schädel
8 ch
Schädels

Look-alike desk: Schädel vs Schädels

A purely visual mix-up. Schädel ([ˈʃɛːdl̩]) and Schädels ([ˈʃɛːdl̩s]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Schädel” sits inside “Schädels”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schädel is recorded at frequency rank #6,970, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛːdl̩]. Schädels is at rank #48,468, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛːdl̩s].

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 55438, this pair ranks #979,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schädel vs Schädels

Shared letters: cdehlsä. Private to "Schädel": -. Private to "Schädels": -.

"Schädel" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC  ·  "Schädels" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schädel" and "Schädels" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɛːdl̩] versus [ˈʃɛːdl̩s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schädel" or "Schädels"?
"Schädel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,970 in our German list, against #48,468 for "Schädels". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Schädel" and "Schädels" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schädel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schädels" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #979,537 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schädel" and "Schädels" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schädels vs shades". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #979,537 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list