Which to use
“schauen” and “schrien” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #958
- “schauen” frequency rank
- #46,261
- “schrien” frequency rank
- 47219
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schauen | schrien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mehr aktiv als passiv mit den Augen wahrnehmen (also oft willentlich, aus eigenem Bestreben heraus/ durch eigenes Zutun herbeigeführt) | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schreien |
Where the eye mixes schauen and schrien
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schauen (CCCVVVC) and schrien (CCCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between schauen and schrien
A purely visual mix-up. schauen ([ˈʃaʊ̯ən]) and schrien ([ʃʁiːn]) 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 47219, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schauen is recorded at frequency rank #958, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯ən]. schrien is at rank #46,261, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʁiːn].
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 47219, this pair ranks #1,292,099 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schauen vs schrien
Shared letters: cehns. Private to "schauen": au. Private to "schrien": ir.
"schauen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVVC · "schrien" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schauen" and "schrien" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schauen" vs "schrien" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schrien" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,292,099 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schauen" and "schrien" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schreier vs schrien". 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 #1,292,099 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.