Which to use
“scheiden” and “scheitern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,776
- “scheiden” frequency rank
- #4,229
- “scheitern” frequency rank
- 13005
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheiden | scheitern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | räumlich voneinander trennen | etwas nicht erreichen, das man erreichen will |
Where the eye mixes scheiden and scheitern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: scheiden vs scheitern
A purely visual mix-up. scheiden ([ˈʃaɪ̯dn̩]) and scheitern ([ˈʃaɪ̯tɐn]) 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 13005, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheiden is recorded at frequency rank #8,776, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯dn̩]. scheitern is at rank #4,229, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯tɐn].
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 13005, this pair ranks #1,960,710 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scheiden vs scheitern
Shared letters: cehins. Private to "scheiden": d. Private to "scheitern": rt.
"scheiden" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC · "scheitern" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scheiden" and "scheitern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "scheiden" vs "scheitern" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheiden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scheitern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,710 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheiden" and "scheitern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scheiden vs schellen". 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 #1,960,710 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.