Which to use
“schauen” and “schrauben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #958
- “schauen” frequency rank
- #11,121
- “schrauben” frequency rank
- 12079
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schauen | schrauben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mehr aktiv als passiv mit den Augen wahrnehmen (also oft willentlich, aus eigenem Bestreben heraus/ durch eigenes Zutun herbeigeführt) | Schrauben oder Ähnliches hinein- oder herausdrehen |
Where the eye mixes schauen and schrauben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schauen runs 7 letters (CCCVVVC) against schrauben's 9 (CCCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schauen with schrauben
A purely visual mix-up. schauen ([ˈʃaʊ̯ən]) and schrauben ([ˈʃʁaʊ̯bn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12079, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schauen is recorded at frequency rank #958, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯ən]. schrauben is at rank #11,121, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʁaʊ̯bn̩].
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 12079, this pair ranks #1,966,298 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schauen vs schrauben
Shared letters: acehnsu. Private to "schauen": -. Private to "schrauben": br.
"schauen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVVC · "schrauben" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schauen" and "schrauben" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schauen" or "schrauben" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "schauen" and "schrauben" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schrauben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,298 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schauen" and "schrauben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schrauben vs schraubt". 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 #1,966,298 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.