Which to use
“scheinen” and “schien” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,361
- “scheinen” frequency rank
- #3,148
- “schien” frequency rank
- 5509
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheinen | schien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Licht aussenden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs scheinen |
Where the eye mixes scheinen and schien
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. scheinen ([ˈʃaɪ̯nən]) 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 5509, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheinen is recorded at frequency rank #2,361, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯nən]. 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 5509, this pair ranks #1,994,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scheinen vs schien
Shared letters: cehins. Private to "scheinen": -. Private to "schien": -.
"scheinen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC · "schien" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scheinen" and "schien" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "scheinen" or "schien"?
What to do next
You've compared "scheinen" and "schien". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheinen" 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 #1,994,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheinen" and "schien" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schien vs schrien". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.