schätzten vs schütten, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#46,268
“schätzten” frequency rank: #30,759
“schütten” frequency rank: 77027
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	schätzten	schütten
Definition	1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schätzen	etwas durch starkes Kippen aus einem Gefäß entfernen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch

schätzten

8 ch

schütten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schätzten ([ˈʃɛt͡stn̩]) and schütten ([ˈʃʏtn̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77027, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schätzten is recorded at frequency rank #46,268, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛt͡stn̩]. schütten is at rank #30,759, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʏtn̩].

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 77027, this pair ranks #270,206 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schätzten vs schütten

Shared letters: cehnst. Private to "schätzten": zä. Private to "schütten": ü.

"schätzten" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCVC · "schütten" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

schätzten#46,268

schütten#30,759

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schätzten" and "schütten" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɛt͡stn̩] versus [ˈʃʏtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "schätzten" or "schütten"?

"schütten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,759 in our German list, against #46,268 for "schätzten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schätzten vs schütten

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 “schätzten” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable