Schaden vs Schauder, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#1,370
“Schaden” frequency rank: #46,956
“Schauder” frequency rank: 48326
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Schaden	Schauder
Definition	unerwünschte, negative Auswirkung	plötzliches Gespür von Kälte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schaden and Schauder apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

Schaden

8 ch

Schauder

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Schaden ([ˈʃaːdn̩]) and Schauder ([ˈʃaʊ̯dɐ]) 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 48326, 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]. Schauder is at rank #46,956, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯dɐ].

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 48326, this pair ranks #1,252,663 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schaden vs Schauder

Shared letters: acdehs. Private to "Schaden": n. Private to "Schauder": ru.

"Schaden" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "Schauder" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

Schaden ← cshaden · scahden · scchaden · schadden · schadenn · schadne · schaedn · schdaen
Schauder ← cshauder · scahuder · scchauder · schaduer · schaudder · schauderr · schaudre · schauedr

Frequency comparison

Schaden#1,370

Schauder#46,956

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schaden" and "Schauder" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaːdn̩] versus [ˈʃaʊ̯dɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Schaden" or "Schauder"?

"Schaden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,370 in our German list, against #46,956 for "Schauder". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Schaden vs Schauder

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 “Schaden” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable