Which to use
“schärfe” is a verb and “schärfste” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,126
- “schärfe” frequency rank
- #25,759
- “schärfste” frequency rank
- 42885
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schärfe | schärfste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schärfen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs scharf |
Where the eye mixes schärfe and schärfste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between schärfe and schärfste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schärfe is [ˈʃɛʁfə] while schärfste is [ˈʃɛʁfstə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schärfe is recorded at frequency rank #17,126, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁfə]. schärfste is at rank #25,759, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁfstə].
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 42885, this pair ranks #1,435,420 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schärfe vs schärfste
Shared letters: cefhrsä. Private to "schärfe": -. Private to "schärfste": t.
"schärfe" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV · "schärfste" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schärfe" and "schärfste" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schärfe" vs "schärfste" - which ranks higher?
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 "schärfe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schärfste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,435,420 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schärfe" and "schärfste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schärfe vs Schurke". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,435,420 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.