ScharvsSchauWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,759
“Schar” frequency rank
#976
“Schau” frequency rank
22735
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schar Schau
Definition Gruppe von Personen oder Tieren; auch (An-)Sammlung von Dingen thematisch organisierte öffentliche Ausstellung

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Schar
5 ch
Schau

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Schar ([ʃaːɐ̯]) and Schau ([ʃaʊ̯]) 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 a single letter - r in “Schar” becomes u in “Schau”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22735, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schar is recorded at frequency rank #21,759, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃaːɐ̯]. Schau is at rank #976, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃaʊ̯].

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 22735, this pair ranks #1,870,418 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schar vs Schau

Shared letters: achs. Private to "Schar": r. Private to "Schau": u.

"Schar" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC  ·  "Schau" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Scharcshar · scahr · scchar · scharr · schhar · schra · shcar · sschar
  • Schaucshau · scahu · scchau · schhau · schua · shcau · sschau

Frequency comparison

Schar#21,759
Schau#976

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schar" and "Schau" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃaːɐ̯] versus [ʃaʊ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schar" or "Schau"?
"Schau" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #976 in our German list, against #21,759 for "Schar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Schar vs Schau

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 “Schar” 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