Which to use
“scheitern” and “schultern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,229
- “scheitern” frequency rank
- #6,351
- “schultern” frequency rank
- 10580
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheitern | schultern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas nicht erreichen, das man erreichen will | transitiv: |
Where the eye mixes scheitern and schultern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between scheitern and schultern
A purely visual mix-up. scheitern ([ˈʃaɪ̯tɐn]) and schultern ([ˈʃʊltɐn]) 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 10580, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheitern is recorded at frequency rank #4,229, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃaɪ̯tɐn]. schultern is at rank #6,351, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʊltɐn].
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 10580, this pair ranks #1,974,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scheitern vs schultern
Shared letters: cehnrst. Private to "scheitern": i. Private to "schultern": lu.
"scheitern" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCVCC · "schultern" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scheitern" and "schultern" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "scheitern" vs "schultern" - 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 "scheitern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schultern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,974,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheitern" and "schultern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scheitern vs Schweizern". 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 #1,974,451 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.