Which to use
“Schale” and “Schuld” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,451
- “Schale” frequency rank
- #999
- “Schuld” frequency rank
- 9450
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schale | Schuld |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine feste Schutzhülle, zum Beispiel bei Früchten, Samen, Vogeleiern, Lebensmitteln | Verbindlichkeit, Pflicht, etwas zu tun oder zu unterlassen |
Where the eye mixes Schale and Schuld
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Schale with Schuld
A purely visual mix-up. Schale ([ˈʃaːlə]) and Schuld ([ʃʊlt]) 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 9450, 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]. Schuld is at rank #999, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃʊlt].
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 9450, this pair ranks #1,979,893 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schale vs Schuld
Shared letters: chls. Private to "Schale": ae. Private to "Schuld": du.
"Schale" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "Schuld" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schale" and "Schuld" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Schale" vs "Schuld" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schuld" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,979,893 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schale" and "Schuld" 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 #1,979,893 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.