Which to use
“Scheck” and “Schelm” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,817
- “Scheck” frequency rank
- #32,753
- “Schelm” frequency rank
- 49570
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scheck | Schelm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zahlungsanweisung an ein Geldinstitut, einen bestimmten Geldbetrag an einen Dritten zu senden | Mensch, der gerne scherzt und neckt |
Where the eye mixes Scheck and Schelm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Scheck with Schelm
A purely visual mix-up. Scheck ([ʃɛk]) and Schelm ([ʃɛlm]) 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 49570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Scheck is recorded at frequency rank #16,817, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛk]. Schelm is at rank #32,753, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛlm].
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 49570, this pair ranks #1,206,465 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Scheck vs Schelm
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "Scheck": k. Private to "Schelm": lm.
"Scheck" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "Schelm" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Scheck" and "Schelm" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Scheck" or "Schelm"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Scheck" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schelm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,206,465 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Scheck" and "Schelm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schalk vs Schelm". 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 #1,206,465 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.