Which to use
“Scham” and “Schelm” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,373
- “Scham” frequency rank
- #32,753
- “Schelm” frequency rank
- 45126
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scham | Schelm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angstbesetztes Empfinden, das meist durch eigenes und von anderen beobachtbares Fehlverhalten ausgelöst wird, durch das man deren Achtung zu verlieren droht | Mensch, der gerne scherzt und neckt |
Where the eye mixes Scham and Schelm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Scham with Schelm
A purely visual mix-up. Scham ([ʃaːm]) and Schelm ([ʃɛlm]) 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 45126, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Scham is recorded at frequency rank #12,373, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃaːm]. Schelm is at rank #32,753, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛlm].
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 45126, this pair ranks #1,363,618 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Scham vs Schelm
Shared letters: chms. Private to "Scham": a. Private to "Schelm": el.
"Scham" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "Schelm" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Scham" for "Schelm" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Scham" vs "Schelm" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Scham" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schelm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,363,618 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Scham" and "Schelm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schalk vs Schelm". 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 #1,363,618 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.