scharfervsscharfesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,412
“scharfer” frequency rank
#23,297
“scharfes” frequency rank
44709
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scharfer scharfes
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs scharf Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs scharf

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set scharfer and scharfes apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
scharfer
8 ch
scharfes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. scharfer ([ˈʃaʁfɐ]) and scharfes ([ˈʃaʁfəs]) 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 “scharfer” becomes s in “scharfes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44709, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

scharfer is recorded at frequency rank #21,412, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃaʁfɐ]. scharfes is at rank #23,297, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃaʁfəs].

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 44709, this pair ranks #1,377,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of scharfer vs scharfes

Shared letters: acefhrs. Private to "scharfer": -. Private to "scharfes": -.

"scharfer" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "scharfes" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scharfercsharfer · scahrfer · sccharfer · schafrer · scharefr · scharferr · scharffer · scharfre
  • scharfescsharfes · scahrfes · sccharfes · schafres · scharefs · scharfess · scharffes · scharfse

Frequency comparison

scharfer#21,412
scharfes#23,297

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scharfer" and "scharfes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaʁfɐ] versus [ˈʃaʁfəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "scharfer" or "scharfes"?
"scharfer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,412 in our German list, against #23,297 for "scharfes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering scharfer vs scharfes

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 “scharfer” 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