Which to use
“schäme” is a verb and “schaue” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,170
- “schäme” frequency rank
- #4,228
- “schaue” frequency rank
- 18398
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schäme | schaue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schämen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schau |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schäme and schaue apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schäme is [ˈʃɛːmə] while schaue is [ʃaʊ̯ə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schäme is recorded at frequency rank #14,170, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛːmə]. schaue is at rank #4,228, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃaʊ̯ə].
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 18398, this pair ranks #1,918,595 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schäme vs schaue
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "schäme": mä. Private to "schaue": au.
"schäme" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "schaue" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schaue ← cshaue · scahue · scchaue · schaeu · schhaue · schuae · shcaue · sschaue
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schäme" and "schaue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schäme" or "schaue"?
Remembering schäme vs schaue
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schäme”; for an adjective, it's “schaue”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schäme” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable