SchauervsSchaukelWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#14,402
“Schauer” frequency rank
#27,038
“Schaukel” frequency rank
41440
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schauer Schaukel
Definition Regenschauer: kurzer, heftiger Niederschlag analog: Schneeschauer ein Gerät, um sich um einen Drehpunkt auf und ab oder vor und zurück zu bewegen

Where the eye mixes Schauer and Schaukel

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Schauer runs 7 letters (CCCVVVC) against Schaukel's 8 (CCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Schauer
8 ch
Schaukel

Look-alike desk: Schauer vs Schaukel

A purely visual mix-up. Schauer ([ˈʃaʊ̯ɐ]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41440, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schauer is recorded at frequency rank #14,402, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯ɐ]. 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 41440, this pair ranks #1,479,348 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schauer vs Schaukel

Shared letters: acehsu. Private to "Schauer": r. Private to "Schaukel": kl.

"Schauer" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVVC  ·  "Schaukel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schauer ← cshauer · scahuer · scchauer · schaeur · schauerr · schaure · schhauer · schuaer
  • Schaukel ← cshaukel · scahukel · scchaukel · schakuel · schauekl · schaukell · schaukkel · schaukle

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Schauer" for "Schaukel" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaʊ̯ɐ] versus [ˈʃaʊ̯kl̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schauer" or "Schaukel"?
"Schauer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,402 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.

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 "Schauer" 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 #1,479,348 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schauer" and "Schaukel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schauder vs Schaukel". 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 #1,479,348 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