Which to use
“schämen” and “schämt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,663
- “schämen” frequency rank
- #22,884
- “schämt” frequency rank
- 30547
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schämen | schämt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Scham empfinden | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schämen |
Where the eye mixes schämen and schämt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schämen runs 7 letters (CCCVCVC) against schämt's 6 (CCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schämen with schämt
A purely visual mix-up. schämen ([ˈʃɛːmən]) and schämt ([ʃɛːmt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30547, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schämen is recorded at frequency rank #7,663, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛːmən]. schämt is at rank #22,884, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃɛːmt].
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 30547, this pair ranks #1,745,688 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schämen vs schämt
Shared letters: chmsä. Private to "schämen": en. Private to "schämt": t.
"schämen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "schämt" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schämen" and "schämt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "schämen" or "schämt" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schämen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schämt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,745,688 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schämen" and "schämt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schämt vs schütt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,745,688 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.