Which to use
“Scheffel” and “Schwefel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,751
- “Scheffel” frequency rank
- #21,415
- “Schwefel” frequency rank
- 52166
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scheffel | Schwefel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | altes, deutsches Hohlmaß für schüttbare, feste Körper (zum Beispiel Getreide), das je nach Gegend 0,2 bis 2,2 hl entsprach | chemisches Element mit der Ordnungszahl 16, das zu den Nichtmetallen gehört |
Where the eye mixes Scheffel and Schwefel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Scheffel and Schwefel
A purely visual mix-up. Scheffel ([ˈʃɛfl̩]) and Schwefel ([ˈʃveːfl̩]) 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 52166, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Scheffel is recorded at frequency rank #30,751, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛfl̩]. Schwefel is at rank #21,415, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃveːfl̩].
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 52166, this pair ranks #1,107,525 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Scheffel vs Schwefel
Shared letters: cefhls. Private to "Scheffel": -. Private to "Schwefel": w.
"Scheffel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "Schwefel" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Scheffel" for "Schwefel" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Scheffel" or "Schwefel"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Scheffel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schwefel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,107,525 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Scheffel" and "Schwefel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Scheffel vs Schöffen". 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 #1,107,525 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.