Which to use
“Schädel” and “Schaufel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,970
- “Schädel” frequency rank
- #25,749
- “Schaufel” frequency rank
- 32719
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schädel | Schaufel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die das Gehirn schützenden Knochen der Hirnschale | Handwerkzeug mit einem flachen, gebogenen Blatt und einem Stiel, um Erde, Kies, Sand, oder Material ähnlicher Konsistenz aufnehmen zu können |
Where the eye mixes Schädel and Schaufel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Schädel runs 7 letters (CCCVCVC) against Schaufel's 8 (CCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Schädel vs Schaufel
A purely visual mix-up. Schädel ([ˈʃɛːdl̩]) and Schaufel ([ˈʃaʊ̯fl̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32719, 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]. Schaufel is at rank #25,749, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯fl̩].
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 32719, this pair ranks #1,701,499 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schädel vs Schaufel
Shared letters: cehls. Private to "Schädel": dä. Private to "Schaufel": afu.
"Schädel" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "Schaufel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Schaufel ← cshaufel · scahufel · scchaufel · schafuel · schauefl · schaufell · schauffel · schaufle
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schädel" for "Schaufel" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Schädel" vs "Schaufel" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Schädel" and "Schaufel" 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 "Schaufel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,701,499 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schädel" and "Schaufel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schauder vs Schaufel". 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 #1,701,499 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.