Which to use
“schämen” and “schwärmen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,663
- “schämen” frequency rank
- #21,417
- “schwärmen” frequency rank
- 29080
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schämen | schwärmen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Scham empfinden | sich als Menge von gleichartigen Lebewesen ungeordnet oder geordnet aktiv bewegen |
Where the eye mixes schämen and schwärmen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schämen runs 7 letters (CCCVCVC) against schwärmen's 9 (CCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schämen vs schwärmen
A purely visual mix-up. schämen ([ˈʃɛːmən]) and schwärmen ([ˈʃvɛʁmən]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29080, 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]. schwärmen is at rank #21,417, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɛʁmən].
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 29080, this pair ranks #1,773,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schämen vs schwärmen
Shared letters: cehmnsä. Private to "schämen": -. Private to "schwärmen": rw.
"schämen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "schwärmen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schämen" for "schwärmen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schämen" vs "schwärmen" - 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 "schwärmen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,773,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schämen" and "schwärmen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schwärmen vs schwirren". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,773,423 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.