Which to use
“Schalk” and “Scham” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,565
- “Schalk” frequency rank
- #12,373
- “Scham” frequency rank
- 57938
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schalk | Scham |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | freche Person, die (gutmütige) Streiche spielt | angstbesetztes Empfinden, das meist durch eigenes und von anderen beobachtbares Fehlverhalten ausgelöst wird, durch das man deren Achtung zu verlieren droht |
Where the eye mixes Schalk and Scham
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Schalk runs 6 letters (CCCVCC) against Scham's 5 (CCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Schalk with Scham
A purely visual mix-up. Schalk ([ʃalk]) and Scham ([ʃaːm]) 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 57938, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schalk is recorded at frequency rank #45,565, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃalk]. Scham is at rank #12,373, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃaːm].
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 57938, this pair ranks #881,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schalk vs Scham
Shared letters: achs. Private to "Schalk": kl. Private to "Scham": m.
"Schalk" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "Scham" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schalk" for "Scham" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Schalk" or "Scham"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schalk" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Scham" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #881,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schalk" and "Scham" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schalk vs schallt". 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 #881,998 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.