Which to use
“schädigen” and “schweigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,736
- “schädigen” frequency rank
- #3,074
- “schweigen” frequency rank
- 23810
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schädigen | schweigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemandem oder etwas einen Schaden zufügen | still sein oder nicht reden |
Where the eye mixes schädigen and schweigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schädigen (CCCVCVCVC) and schweigen (CCCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses schädigen with schweigen
A purely visual mix-up. schädigen ([ˈʃɛːdɪɡn̩]) and schweigen ([ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23810, 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]. schweigen is at rank #3,074, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 23810, this pair ranks #1,856,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schädigen vs schweigen
Shared letters: ceghins. Private to "schädigen": dä. Private to "schweigen": w.
"schädigen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCVCVC · "schweigen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schweigen ← cshweigen · scchweigen · schewigen · schhweigen · schwegien · schweiegn · schweigenn · schweiggen
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schädigen" and "schweigen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "schädigen" or "schweigen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schädigen" and "schweigen" 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 "schweigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,856,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schädigen" and "schweigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schädigen vs schattigen". 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 #1,856,332 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.