schauenvsschürenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#958
“schauen” frequency rank
#22,135
“schüren” frequency rank
23093
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schauen schüren
Definition mehr aktiv als passiv mit den Augen wahrnehmen (also oft willentlich, aus eigenem Bestreben heraus/ durch eigenes Zutun herbeigeführt) Feuer durch Herumstochern anfachen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schauen and schüren apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
schauen
7 ch
schüren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schauen ([ˈʃaʊ̯ən]) and schüren ([ˈʃyːʁən]) 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 23093, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schauen is recorded at frequency rank #958, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯ən]. schüren is at rank #22,135, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃyːʁən].

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 23093, this pair ranks #1,865,871 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schauen vs schüren

Shared letters: cehns. Private to "schauen": au. Private to "schüren": .

"schauen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVVC  ·  "schüren" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schauencshauen · scahuen · scchauen · schaeun · schauenn · schaune · schhauen · schuaen

Frequency comparison

schauen#958
schüren#22,135

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schauen" and "schüren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaʊ̯ən] versus [ˈʃyːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schauen" or "schüren"?
"schauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #958 in our German list, against #22,135 for "schüren". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering schauen vs schüren

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schauen” 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