Which to use
“schalt” and “schalten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,692
- “schalt” frequency rank
- #6,851
- “schalten” frequency rank
- 30543
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schalt | schalten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schalten | eine Schaltung betätigen, zum Beispiel auf dem Fahrrad einen anderen Gang einlegen |
Where the eye mixes schalt and schalten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schalt runs 6 letters (CCCVCC) against schalten's 8 (CCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schalt vs schalten
A purely visual mix-up. schalt ([ʃalt]) and schalten ([ˈʃaltn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “schalt” sits inside “schalten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30543, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schalt is recorded at frequency rank #23,692, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃalt]. schalten is at rank #6,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaltn̩].
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 30543, this pair ranks #1,745,763 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schalt vs schalten
Shared letters: achlst. Private to "schalt": -. Private to "schalten": en.
"schalt" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "schalten" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schalt" and "schalten" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schalt" or "schalten" show up more?
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 "schalt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schalten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,745,763 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schalt" and "schalten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schalt vs schütt". 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 #1,745,763 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.