Which to use
“schäme” is a verb and “Schläfe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,170
- “schäme” frequency rank
- #46,966
- “Schläfe” frequency rank
- 61136
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schäme | Schläfe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schämen | der Bereich zwischen Ohr und Auge, auf dem man beim Schlafen liegt |
Where the eye mixes schäme and Schläfe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schäme runs 6 letters (CCCVCV) against Schläfe's 7 (CCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schäme with Schläfe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schäme is [ˈʃɛːmə] while Schläfe is [ˈʃlɛːfə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61136, 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]. Schläfe is at rank #46,966, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɛːfə].
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 61136, this pair ranks #760,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schäme vs Schläfe
Shared letters: cehsä. Private to "schäme": m. Private to "Schläfe": fl.
"schäme" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "Schläfe" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schäme" for "Schläfe" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "schäme" or "Schläfe" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schäme" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schläfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #760,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schäme" and "Schläfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schläfe vs Schläfer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #760,974 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.