ScheidevsScheitelWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#24,494
“Scheide” frequency rank
#33,797
“Scheitel” frequency rank
58291
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Scheide Scheitel
Definition Transport- oder Aufbewahrungsbehälter für Hieb- und Stichwaffen Linie in der Frisur, entlang derer sich die Haare in unterschiedliche Richtung legen

Where the eye mixes Scheide and Scheitel

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

7 ch
Scheide
8 ch
Scheitel

Visual trap between Scheide and Scheitel

A purely visual mix-up. Scheide ([ˈʃaɪ̯də]) and Scheitel ([ˈʃaɪ̯tl̩]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58291, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Scheide is recorded at frequency rank #24,494, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯də]. Scheitel is at rank #33,797, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯tl̩].

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 58291, this pair ranks #868,472 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Scheide vs Scheitel

Shared letters: cehis. Private to "Scheide": d. Private to "Scheitel": lt.

"Scheide" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVCV  ·  "Scheitel" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Scheidecsheide · sccheide · scehide · schedie · scheidde · scheied · schheide · schiede
  • Scheitelcsheitel · sccheitel · scehitel · scheietl · scheitell · scheitle · scheittel · schetiel

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Scheide" and "Scheitel" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaɪ̯də] versus [ˈʃaɪ̯tl̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Scheide" or "Scheitel"?
"Scheide" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,494 in our German list, against #33,797 for "Scheitel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Scheide" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Scheitel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #868,472 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Scheide" and "Scheitel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Scheide vs schulde". 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 #868,472 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