SchaudervsSchaukelWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,956
“Schauder” frequency rank
#27,038
“Schaukel” frequency rank
73994
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schauder Schaukel
Definition plötzliches Gespür von Kälte ein Gerät, um sich um einen Drehpunkt auf und ab oder vor und zurück zu bewegen

Where the eye mixes Schauder and Schaukel

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Schauder and Schaukel follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
Schauder
8 ch
Schaukel

Look-alike desk: Schauder vs Schaukel

A purely visual mix-up. Schauder ([ˈʃaʊ̯dɐ]) and Schaukel ([ˈʃaʊ̯kl̩]) 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 73994, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schauder is recorded at frequency rank #46,956, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯dɐ]. Schaukel is at rank #27,038, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯kl̩].

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 73994, this pair ranks #345,314 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Schauder vs Schaukel

Shared letters: acehsu. Private to "Schauder": dr. Private to "Schaukel": kl.

"Schauder" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC  ·  "Schaukel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schauder ← cshauder · scahuder · scchauder · schaduer · schaudder · schauderr · schaudre · schauedr
  • Schaukel ← cshaukel · scahukel · scchaukel · schakuel · schauekl · schaukell · schaukkel · schaukle

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Schauder" and "Schaukel" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaʊ̯dɐ] versus [ˈʃaʊ̯kl̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Schauder" vs "Schaukel" - which ranks higher?
"Schaukel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,038 in our German list, against #46,956 for "Schauder". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schauder" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schaukel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #345,314 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schauder" and "Schaukel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schauder vs Schaufel". 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 #345,314 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list