Which to use
“schaffte” and “schärfe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,528
- “schaffte” frequency rank
- #17,126
- “schärfe” frequency rank
- 22654
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schaffte | schärfe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schaffen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schärfen |
Where the eye mixes schaffte and schärfe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schaffte with schärfe
A purely visual mix-up. schaffte ([ˈʃaftə]) and schärfe ([ˈʃɛʁfə]) 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 22654, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schaffte is recorded at frequency rank #5,528, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaftə]. schärfe is at rank #17,126, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁfə].
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 22654, this pair ranks #1,871,440 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schaffte vs schärfe
Shared letters: cefhs. Private to "schaffte": at. Private to "schärfe": rä.
"schaffte" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCCV · "schärfe" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schaffte ← cshaffte · scahffte · scchaffte · schaffet · schafftte · schafte · schaftfe · schfafte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schaffte" and "schärfe" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schaffte" vs "schärfe" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schaffte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schärfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,871,440 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schaffte" and "schärfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schärfe vs Schurke". 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 #1,871,440 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.