Which to use
“schämen” and “schrien” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,663
- “schämen” frequency rank
- #46,261
- “schrien” frequency rank
- 53924
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schämen | schrien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Scham empfinden | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schreien |
Where the eye mixes schämen and schrien
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schämen (CCCVCVC) and schrien (CCCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between schämen and schrien
A purely visual mix-up. schämen ([ˈʃɛːmən]) and schrien ([ʃʁiːn]) 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 53924, 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]. schrien is at rank #46,261, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʁiːn].
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 53924, this pair ranks #1,038,983 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schämen vs schrien
Shared letters: cehns. Private to "schämen": mä. Private to "schrien": ir.
"schämen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "schrien" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schrien ← cshrien · scchrien · schhrien · schiren · schrienn · schrine · schrrien · scrhien
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schämen" and "schrien" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schämen" vs "schrien" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schämen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schrien" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,038,983 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schämen" and "schrien" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schreier vs schrien". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,038,983 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.