ScheidungvsSchenkungConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,852
“Scheidung” frequency rank
#20,045
“Schenkung” frequency rank
26897
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Scheidung Schenkung
Definition formelle, juristische Auflösung einer Ehe Übereignung ohne Gegenleistung

Where the eye mixes Scheidung and Schenkung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Scheidung (CCCVVCVCC) and Schenkung (CCCVCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
Scheidung
9 ch
Schenkung

Why the eye confuses Scheidung with Schenkung

A purely visual mix-up. Scheidung ([ˈʃaɪ̯dʊŋ]) and Schenkung ([ˈʃɛŋkʊŋ]) 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 26897, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Scheidung is recorded at frequency rank #6,852, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯dʊŋ]. Schenkung is at rank #20,045, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛŋkʊŋ].

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 26897, this pair ranks #1,810,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Scheidung vs Schenkung

Shared letters: ceghnsu. Private to "Scheidung": di. Private to "Schenkung": k.

"Scheidung" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCVCC  ·  "Schenkung" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Scheidung ← csheidung · sccheidung · scehidung · schediung · scheiddung · scheidnug · scheidugn · scheidungg
  • Schenkung ← cshenkung · scchenkung · scehnkung · scheknung · schenkkung · schenknug · schenkugn · schenkungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Scheidung" for "Schenkung" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃaɪ̯dʊŋ] versus [ˈʃɛŋkʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Scheidung" vs "Schenkung" - which ranks higher?
"Scheidung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,852 in our German list, against #20,045 for "Schenkung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Scheidung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schenkung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,810,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Scheidung" and "Schenkung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Scheidung vs Scheidungen". 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 #1,810,587 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