SchalevsSchildWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#8,451
“Schale” frequency rank
#4,303
“Schild” frequency rank
12754
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schale Schild
Definition eine feste Schutzhülle, zum Beispiel bei Früchten, Samen, Vogeleiern, Lebensmitteln frühzeitliche/mittelalterliche Platte zum Schutz des eigenen Körpers im Kampf (oft versehen mit dem Erkennungswappen des jeweiligen Schildträgers; hieraus ist die Bedeutung des "Schild(e)s als Informationsträger" (siehe unten) entstanden)

Where the eye mixes Schale and Schild

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Schale
6 ch
Schild

Visual trap between Schale and Schild

A purely visual mix-up. Schale ([ˈʃaːlə]) and Schild ([ʃɪlt]) 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 12754, 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]. Schild is at rank #4,303, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃɪlt].

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 12754, this pair ranks #1,962,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schale vs Schild

Shared letters: chls. Private to "Schale": ae. Private to "Schild": di.

"Schale" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV  ·  "Schild" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schalecshale · scahle · scchale · schael · schalle · schhale · schlae · shcale
  • Schildcshild · scchild · schhild · schidl · schildd · schilld · schlid · scihld

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schale" and "Schild" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaːlə] versus [ʃɪlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schale" or "Schild"?
"Schild" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,303 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.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Schale" and "Schild" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schild" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,962,241 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schale" and "Schild" 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 #1,962,241 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