Which to use
“schärfe” is a verb and “Schläfe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,126
- “schärfe” frequency rank
- #46,966
- “Schläfe” frequency rank
- 64092
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schärfe | Schläfe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schärfen | der Bereich zwischen Ohr und Auge, auf dem man beim Schlafen liegt |
Where the eye mixes schärfe and Schläfe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schärfe (CCCVCCV) and Schläfe (CCCCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between schärfe and Schläfe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schärfe is [ˈʃɛʁfə] while Schläfe is [ˈʃlɛːfə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64092, 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]. Schläfe is at rank #46,966, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɛːfə].
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 64092, this pair ranks #653,693 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schärfe vs Schläfe
Shared letters: cefhsä. Private to "schärfe": r. Private to "Schläfe": l.
"schärfe" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV · "Schläfe" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schärfe" and "Schläfe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schärfe" or "Schläfe"?
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 "Schläfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #653,693 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schärfe" and "Schläfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schläfe vs Schläfer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #653,693 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.