Which to use
“Schaufel” and “Schaukel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,749
- “Schaufel” frequency rank
- #27,038
- “Schaukel” frequency rank
- 52787
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schaufel | Schaukel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Handwerkzeug mit einem flachen, gebogenen Blatt und einem Stiel, um Erde, Kies, Sand, oder Material ähnlicher Konsistenz aufnehmen zu können | ein Gerät, um sich um einen Drehpunkt auf und ab oder vor und zurück zu bewegen |
Where the eye mixes Schaufel and Schaukel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Schaufel and Schaukel follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Schaufel vs Schaukel
A purely visual mix-up. Schaufel ([ˈʃaʊ̯fl̩]) 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 a single letter - f in “Schaufel” becomes k in “Schaukel”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52787, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schaufel is recorded at frequency rank #25,749, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaʊ̯fl̩]. 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 52787, this pair ranks #1,083,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schaufel vs Schaukel
Shared letters: acehlsu. Private to "Schaufel": f. Private to "Schaukel": k.
"Schaufel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC · "Schaukel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schaufel" for "Schaukel" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Schaufel" or "Schaukel" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schaufel" 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 #1,083,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schaufel" 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 #1,083,270 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.