Which to use
“Scham” is a noun and “shame” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,373
- “Scham” frequency rank
- #43,491
- “shame” frequency rank
- 55864
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scham | shame |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angstbesetztes Empfinden, das meist durch eigenes und von anderen beobachtbares Fehlverhalten ausgelöst wird, durch das man deren Achtung zu verlieren droht | jemanden beschämen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Scham and shame apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: Scham is anoun and shameaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55864, 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]. shame is at rank #43,491, tagged as averb, pronounced […].
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 55864, this pair ranks #962,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Scham vs shame
Shared letters: ahms. Private to "Scham": c. Private to "shame": e.
"Scham" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "shame" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Scham" and "shame" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Scham" or "shame"?
Remembering Scham vs shame
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Scham”; for a verb, it's “shame”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Scham” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable