Which to use
“Schaden” and “Schafe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,370
- “Schaden” frequency rank
- #7,390
- “Schafe” frequency rank
- 8760
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schaden | Schafe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unerwünschte, negative Auswirkung | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Schaf |
Where the eye mixes Schaden and Schafe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Schaden with Schafe
A purely visual mix-up. Schaden ([ˈʃaːdn̩]) and Schafe ([ˈʃaːfə]) 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 8760, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schaden is recorded at frequency rank #1,370, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaːdn̩]. Schafe is at rank #7,390, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaːfə].
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 8760, this pair ranks #1,982,970 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schaden vs Schafe
Shared letters: acehs. Private to "Schaden": dn. Private to "Schafe": f.
"Schaden" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "Schafe" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schaden" and "Schafe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Schaden" or "Schafe"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schaden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schafe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,970 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schaden" and "Schafe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schafe vs Schläfer". 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 #1,982,970 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.