schädigenvsschädigtTell them apart

Which to use

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

#20,736
“schädigen” frequency rank
#36,012
“schädigt” frequency rank
56748
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schädigen schädigt
Definition jemandem oder etwas einen Schaden zufügen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schädigen

Where the eye mixes schädigen and schädigt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schädigen runs 9 letters (CCCVCVCVC) against schädigt's 8 (CCCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
schädigen
8 ch
schädigt

Why the eye confuses schädigen with schädigt

A purely visual mix-up. schädigen ([ˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩]) and schädigt ([ˈʃɛːdɪçt]) 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 56748, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schädigen is recorded at frequency rank #20,736, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩]. 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 56748, this pair ranks #928,169 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schädigen vs schädigt

Shared letters: cdghisä. Private to "schädigen": en. Private to "schädigt": t.

"schädigen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCVCVC  ·  "schädigt" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schädigen" and "schädigt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩] versus [ˈʃɛːdɪçt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schädigen" vs "schädigt" - which ranks higher?
"schädigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,736 in our German list, against #36,012 for "schädigt". 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 "schädigen" and "schädigt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schädigen" 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 #928,169 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schädigen" and "schädigt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schäbig vs schädigt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #928,169 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