Which to use
“Schafe” and “Schläfe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,390
- “Schafe” frequency rank
- #46,966
- “Schläfe” frequency rank
- 54356
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schafe | Schläfe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Schaf | der Bereich zwischen Ohr und Auge, auf dem man beim Schlafen liegt |
Where the eye mixes Schafe and Schläfe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Schafe and Schläfe
A purely visual mix-up. Schafe ([ˈʃaːfə]) and Schläfe ([ˈʃlɛːfə]) 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 54356, 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]. Schläfe is at rank #46,966, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɛːfə].
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 54356, this pair ranks #1,022,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schafe vs Schläfe
Shared letters: cefhs. Private to "Schafe": a. Private to "Schläfe": lä.
"Schafe" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "Schläfe" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Schafe ← cshafe · scahfe · scchafe · schaef · schfae · schhafe · shcafe · sschafe
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schafe" and "Schläfe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Schafe" or "Schläfe"?
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 "Schläfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,022,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schafe" and "Schläfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schläfe vs Schläfer". 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 #1,022,157 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.