Which to use
“schaffe” and “schaffen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,232
- “schaffe” frequency rank
- #691
- “schaffen” frequency rank
- 6923
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schaffe | schaffen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schaffen | etwas künstlerisch oder handwerklich erzeugen |
Where the eye mixes schaffe and schaffen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between schaffe and schaffen
A purely visual mix-up. schaffe ([ˈʃafə]) and schaffen ([ˈʃafn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “schaffe” sits inside “schaffen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6923, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schaffe is recorded at frequency rank #6,232, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃafə]. schaffen is at rank #691, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃafn̩].
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 6923, this pair ranks #1,990,009 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schaffe vs schaffen
Shared letters: acefhs. Private to "schaffe": -. Private to "schaffen": n.
"schaffe" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV · "schaffen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schaffe" for "schaffen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schaffe" or "schaffen"?
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 "schaffe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schaffen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,990,009 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schaffe" and "schaffen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schaffe vs Schläfe". 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 #1,990,009 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.