Which to use
“schätzten” and “schützen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,268
- “schätzten” frequency rank
- #1,524
- “schützen” frequency rank
- 47792
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schätzten | schützen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schätzen | verteidigen; vor negativen Veränderungen bewahren |
Where the eye mixes schätzten and schützen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between schätzten and schützen
A purely visual mix-up. schätzten ([ˈʃɛt͡stn̩]) and schützen ([ˈʃʏt͡sn̩]) 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 47792, 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]. schützen is at rank #1,524, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʏt͡sn̩].
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 47792, this pair ranks #1,271,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schätzten vs schützen
Shared letters: cehnstz. Private to "schätzten": ä. Private to "schützen": ü.
"schätzten" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCVC · "schützen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schätzten" and "schützen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "schätzten" or "schützen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schätzten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schützen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,271,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schätzten" and "schützen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schätzten vs schützte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,271,818 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.