Which to use
“Scham” and “Sesam” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,373
- “Scham” frequency rank
- #46,990
- “Sesam” frequency rank
- 59363
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scham | Sesam |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angstbesetztes Empfinden, das meist durch eigenes und von anderen beobachtbares Fehlverhalten ausgelöst wird, durch das man deren Achtung zu verlieren droht | Pflanze der Art Sesamum indicum, aus der Familie der Sesamgewächse |
Where the eye mixes Scham and Sesam
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Scham (CCCVC) and Sesam (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Scham vs Sesam
A purely visual mix-up. Scham ([ʃaːm]) and Sesam ([ˈzeːzam]) 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 59363, 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]. Sesam is at rank #46,990, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzeːzam].
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 59363, this pair ranks #827,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Scham vs Sesam
Shared letters: ams. Private to "Scham": ch. Private to "Sesam": e.
"Scham" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "Sesam" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Scham" for "Sesam" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Scham" or "Sesam"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Scham" and "Sesam" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Scham" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Sesam" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #827,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Scham" and "Sesam" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sega vs Sesam". 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 #827,315 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.