Which to use
“schädigen” is a verb and “schattigen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,736
- “schädigen” frequency rank
- #43,462
- “schattigen” frequency rank
- 64198
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schädigen | schattigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas einen Schaden zufügen | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schattig |
Where the eye mixes schädigen and schattigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schädigen runs 9 letters (CCCVCVCVC) against schattigen's 10 (CCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schädigen and schattigen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schädigen is [ˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩] while schattigen is [ˈʃatɪɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64198, 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]. schattigen is at rank #43,462, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃatɪɡn̩].
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 64198, this pair ranks #650,051 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schädigen vs schattigen
Shared letters: ceghins. Private to "schädigen": dä. Private to "schattigen": at.
"schädigen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCVCVC · "schattigen" · 10 letters · shape CCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schattigen ← cshattigen · scahttigen · scchattigen · schatigen · schatitgen · schattgien · schattiegn · schattigenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schädigen" for "schattigen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schädigen" vs "schattigen" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schädigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schattigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #650,051 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädigen" and "schattigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädigen vs schädigt". 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 #650,051 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.