Which to use
“scheinen” and “schwinden” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,361
- “scheinen” frequency rank
- #31,783
- “schwinden” frequency rank
- 34144
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheinen | schwinden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Licht aussenden | in bedenklichem Maße nachlassen |
Where the eye mixes scheinen and schwinden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scheinen with schwinden
A purely visual mix-up. scheinen ([ˈʃaɪ̯nən]) and schwinden ([ˈʃvɪndn̩]) 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 34144, 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]. schwinden is at rank #31,783, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɪndn̩].
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 34144, this pair ranks #1,670,072 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scheinen vs schwinden
Shared letters: cehins. Private to "scheinen": -. Private to "schwinden": dw.
"scheinen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC · "schwinden" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scheinen" for "schwinden" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scheinen" or "schwinden"?
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 "scheinen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwinden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,670,072 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheinen" and "schwinden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schwinden vs schwirren". 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 #1,670,072 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.