SchalevsSchalkeTell them apart

Which to use

“Schale” and “Schalke” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#8,451
“Schale” frequency rank
#4,643
“Schalke” frequency rank
13094
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schale Schalke
Definition eine feste Schutzhülle, zum Beispiel bei Früchten, Samen, Vogeleiern, Lebensmitteln Abdichtung einer Luke bei Schiffen

Where the eye mixes Schale and Schalke

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Schale runs 6 letters (CCCVCV) against Schalke's 7 (CCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Schale
7 ch
Schalke

Look-alike desk: Schale vs Schalke

A purely visual mix-up. Schale ([ˈʃaːlə]) and Schalke ([ˈʃalkə]) 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 13094, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schale is recorded at frequency rank #8,451, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaːlə]. Schalke is at rank #4,643, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃalkə].

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 13094, this pair ranks #1,960,161 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schale vs Schalke

Shared letters: acehls. Private to "Schale": -. Private to "Schalke": k.

"Schale" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV  ·  "Schalke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schale ← cshale · scahle · scchale · schael · schalle · schhale · schlae · shcale
  • Schalke ← cshalke · scahlke · scchalke · schakle · schalek · schalkke · schallke · schhalke

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Schale" and "Schalke" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaːlə] versus [ˈʃalkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Schale" vs "Schalke" - which ranks higher?
"Schalke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,643 in our German list, against #8,451 for "Schale". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schalke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,960,161 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schale" and "Schalke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schale vs Schnalle". 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 #1,960,161 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list