schämtvsschüttTell them apart

Which to use

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

#22,884
“schämt” frequency rank
#47,721
“schütt” frequency rank
70605
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schämt schütt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schämen 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schütten

Where the eye mixes schämt and schütt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. schämt and schütt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
schämt
6 ch
schütt

Visual trap between schämt and schütt

A purely visual mix-up. schämt ([ʃɛːmt]) and schütt ([ʃʏt]) 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 70605, 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]. schütt is at rank #47,721, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʏt].

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 70605, this pair ranks #441,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schämt vs schütt

Shared letters: chst. Private to "schämt": mä. Private to "schütt": ü.

"schämt" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "schütt" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schämt" and "schütt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ʃɛːmt] versus [ʃʏt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "schämt" or "schütt" show up more?
"schämt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,884 in our German list, against #47,721 for "schütt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schämt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schütt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #441,219 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schämt" and "schütt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schütt vs shut". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #441,219 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list