Which to use
“schätze” and “scherze” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,682
- “schätze” frequency rank
- #24,110
- “scherze” frequency rank
- 27792
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schätze | scherze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schätzen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scherzen |
Where the eye mixes schätze and scherze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schätze with scherze
A purely visual mix-up. schätze ([ˈʃɛt͡sə]) and scherze ([ˈʃɛʁt͡sə]) 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 27792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schätze is recorded at frequency rank #3,682, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛt͡sə]. scherze is at rank #24,110, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁt͡sə].
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 27792, this pair ranks #1,795,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schätze vs scherze
Shared letters: cehsz. Private to "schätze": tä. Private to "scherze": r.
"schätze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV · "scherze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- scherze ← csherze · sccherze · scehrze · scherez · scherrze · scherzze · schezre · schherze
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schätze" and "scherze" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schätze" or "scherze" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schätze" and "scherze" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schätze" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scherze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,795,823 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schätze" and "scherze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scherze vs Schurke". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,795,823 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.