Which to use
“scheiden” and “schien” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,776
- “scheiden” frequency rank
- #3,148
- “schien” frequency rank
- 11924
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheiden | schien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | räumlich voneinander trennen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs scheinen |
Where the eye mixes scheiden and schien
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scheiden with schien
A purely visual mix-up. scheiden ([ˈʃaɪ̯dn̩]) and schien ([ʃiːn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11924, 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]. schien is at rank #3,148, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃiːn].
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 11924, this pair ranks #1,967,195 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scheiden vs schien
Shared letters: cehins. Private to "scheiden": d. Private to "schien": -.
"scheiden" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC · "schien" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scheiden" for "schien" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scheiden" or "schien"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheiden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schien" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,967,195 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheiden" and "schien" 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 #1,967,195 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.