Which to use
“scheel” is an adjective and “Schmelz” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,250
- “scheel” frequency rank
- #36,613
- “Schmelz” frequency rank
- 68863
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheel | Schmelz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schief, schiefblickend | Glasur auf der Oberfläche |
Where the eye mixes scheel and Schmelz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. scheel runs 6 letters (CCCVVC) against Schmelz's 7 (CCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses scheel with Schmelz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scheel is [ʃeːl] while Schmelz is [ʃmɛlt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheel is recorded at frequency rank #32,250, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃeːl]. Schmelz is at rank #36,613, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃmɛlt͡s].
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 68863, this pair ranks #494,435 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of scheel vs Schmelz
Shared letters: cehls. Private to "scheel": -. Private to "Schmelz": mz.
"scheel" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC · "Schmelz" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scheel" and "Schmelz" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "scheel" or "Schmelz" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schmelz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #494,435 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheel" and "Schmelz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schmelz vs Schwelm". 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 #494,435 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.