schauevsSchaukelWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schaue is a adjective, Schaukel is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schaue” is an adjective and “Schaukel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,228
“schaue” frequency rank
#27,038
“Schaukel” frequency rank
31266
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schaue Schaukel
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schau ein Gerät, um sich um einen Drehpunkt auf und ab oder vor und zurück zu bewegen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schaue and Schaukel apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
schaue
8 ch
Schaukel

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schaue is [ʃaʊ̯ə] while Schaukel is [ˈʃaʊ̯kl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schaue is recorded at frequency rank #4,228, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃaʊ̯ə]. 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 31266, this pair ranks #1,731,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schaue vs Schaukel

Shared letters: acehsu. Private to "schaue": -. Private to "Schaukel": kl.

"schaue" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVV  ·  "Schaukel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schauecshaue · scahue · scchaue · schaeu · schhaue · schuae · shcaue · sschaue
  • Schaukelcshaukel · scahukel · scchaukel · schakuel · schauekl · schaukell · schaukkel · schaukle

Frequency comparison

schaue#4,228
Schaukel#27,038

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schaue" and "Schaukel" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schaue" is an adjective and "Schaukel" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schaue" or "Schaukel"?
"schaue" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,228 in our German list, against #27,038 for "Schaukel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schaue vs Schaukel

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “schaue”; for a noun, it's “Schaukel”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schaue” 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