Which to use
“schämen” and “schüren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,663
- “schämen” frequency rank
- #22,135
- “schüren” frequency rank
- 29798
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schämen | schüren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Scham empfinden | Feuer durch Herumstochern anfachen |
Where the eye mixes schämen and schüren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schämen and schüren follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses schämen with schüren
A purely visual mix-up. schämen ([ˈʃɛːmən]) and schüren ([ˈʃyːʁən]) 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 29798, 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]. schüren is at rank #22,135, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃyːʁən].
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 29798, this pair ranks #1,760,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schämen vs schüren
Shared letters: cehns. Private to "schämen": mä. Private to "schüren": rü.
"schämen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "schüren" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schämen" and "schüren" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "schämen" vs "schüren" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "schüren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,760,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schämen" and "schüren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schüren vs Schurke". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,760,098 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.