SchecksvsSchreckTell them apart

Which to use

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

#36,006
“Schecks” frequency rank
#12,788
“Schreck” frequency rank
48794
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schecks Schreck
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Scheck heftige Emotion, die durch die Wahrnehmung von etwas Unerwartetem oder Bedrohlichem ausgelöst wird

Where the eye mixes Schecks and Schreck

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Schecks
7 ch
Schreck

Why the eye confuses Schecks with Schreck

A purely visual mix-up. Schecks ([ʃɛks]) and Schreck ([ʃʁɛk]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48794, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schecks is recorded at frequency rank #36,006, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛks]. Schreck is at rank #12,788, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃʁɛk].

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 48794, this pair ranks #1,235,393 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schecks vs Schreck

Shared letters: cehks. Private to "Schecks": -. Private to "Schreck": r.

"Schecks" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC  ·  "Schreck" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Scheckscshecks · scchecks · scehcks · schceks · scheccks · scheckks · scheckss · schecsk
  • Schreckcshreck · scchreck · scherck · schhreck · schrcek · schrecck · schreckk · schrekc

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schecks" and "Schreck" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃɛks] versus [ʃʁɛk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schecks" or "Schreck"?
"Schreck" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,788 in our German list, against #36,006 for "Schecks". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Schecks" and "Schreck" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schecks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schreck" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,235,393 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schecks" and "Schreck" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schecks vs schenkst". 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 #1,235,393 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