schellvsSichelWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schell is a verb, Sichel is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schell” is a verb and “Sichel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,990
“schell” frequency rank
#33,294
“Sichel” frequency rank
72284
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schell Sichel
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schellen Werkzeug zum Schneiden von Getreide oder Gras, im Gegensatz zur Sense ohne langen Stiel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schell and Sichel apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
schell
6 ch
Sichel

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schell is [ʃɛl] while Sichel is [ˈzɪçl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schell is recorded at frequency rank #38,990, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃɛl]. Sichel is at rank #33,294, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɪçl̩].

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 72284, this pair ranks #392,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schell vs Sichel

Shared letters: cehls. Private to "schell": -. Private to "Sichel": i.

"schell" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "Sichel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schellcshell · scchell · scehll · schhell · schlel · shcell · sschell
  • Sichelischel · scihel · sicchel · sicehl · sichell · sichhel · sichle · sihcel

Frequency comparison

schell#38,990
Sichel#33,294

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schell" and "Sichel" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schell" is a verb and "Sichel" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schell" or "Sichel"?
"Sichel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,294 in our German list, against #38,990 for "schell". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schell vs Sichel

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schell”; for a noun, it's “Sichel”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schell” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list