Which to use
“Scham” and “steam” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,373
- “Scham” frequency rank
- #9,809
- “steam” frequency rank
- 22182
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scham | steam |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | angstbesetztes Empfinden, das meist durch eigenes und von anderen beobachtbares Fehlverhalten ausgelöst wird, durch das man deren Achtung zu verlieren droht | Dunst, der von einer Flüssigkeit aufsteigt; Dampf |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Scham and steam apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. Scham ([ʃaːm]) and steam ([stiːm]) 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 22182, 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]. steam is at rank #9,809, tagged as anoun, pronounced [stiːm].
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 22182, this pair ranks #1,877,300 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Scham vs steam
Shared letters: ams. Private to "Scham": ch. Private to "steam": et.
"Scham" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "steam" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Scham" and "steam" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Scham" or "steam"?
Remembering Scham vs steam
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- 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