Which to use
“schämen” and “schätzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,663
- “schämen” frequency rank
- #3,484
- “schätzen” frequency rank
- 11147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schämen | schätzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Scham empfinden | Zahlenwerte, Größen oder Ähnliches aufgrund bekannter Tatsachen näherungsweise bestimmen |
Where the eye mixes schämen and schätzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schämen runs 7 letters (CCCVCVC) against schätzen's 8 (CCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schämen and schätzen
A purely visual mix-up. schämen ([ˈʃɛːmən]) and schätzen ([ˈʃɛt͡sn̩]) 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 11147, 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]. schätzen is at rank #3,484, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛt͡sn̩].
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 11147, this pair ranks #1,971,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schämen vs schätzen
Shared letters: cehnsä. Private to "schämen": m. Private to "schätzen": tz.
"schämen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "schätzen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schämen" and "schätzen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schämen" or "schätzen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "schämen" and "schätzen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schämen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schätzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,971,448 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schämen" and "schätzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schämen vs schrien". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,971,448 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.