schämtvsschaustWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“schämt” and “schaust” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,884
“schämt” frequency rank
#10,555
“schaust” frequency rank
33439
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schämt schaust
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schämen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schauen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schämt and schaust apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
schämt
7 ch
schaust

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schämt ([ʃɛːmt]) and schaust ([ʃaʊ̯st]) 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 33439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schämt is recorded at frequency rank #22,884, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃɛːmt]. schaust is at rank #10,555, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃaʊ̯st].

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 33439, this pair ranks #1,685,964 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schämt vs schaust

Shared letters: chst. Private to "schämt": . Private to "schaust": au.

"schämt" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "schaust" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schaustcshaust · scahust · scchaust · schasut · schausst · schaustt · schauts · schhaust

Frequency comparison

schämt#22,884
schaust#10,555

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schämt" and "schaust" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃɛːmt] versus [ʃaʊ̯st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schämt" or "schaust"?
"schaust" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,555 in our German list, against #22,884 for "schämt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schämt vs schaust

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schämt” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list