Which to use
“Schafe” and “Schals” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,390
- “Schafe” frequency rank
- #31,771
- “Schals” frequency rank
- 39161
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schafe | Schals |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Schaf | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schal |
Where the eye mixes Schafe and Schals
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Schafe with Schals
A purely visual mix-up. Schafe ([ˈʃaːfə]) and Schals ([ʃaːls]) 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 39161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schafe is recorded at frequency rank #7,390, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaːfə]. Schals is at rank #31,771, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃaːls].
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 39161, this pair ranks #1,544,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schafe vs Schals
Shared letters: achs. Private to "Schafe": ef. Private to "Schals": l.
"Schafe" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "Schals" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schafe" and "Schals" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Schafe" or "Schals"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schafe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schals" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,544,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schafe" and "Schals" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schädels vs Schals". 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 #1,544,430 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.