Which to use
“Schelm” is a noun and “scheue” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,753
- “Schelm” frequency rank
- #42,110
- “scheue” frequency rank
- 74863
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schelm | scheue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mensch, der gerne scherzt und neckt | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs scheu |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schelm and scheue apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schelm is [ʃɛlm] while scheue is [ˈʃɔɪ̯ə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schelm is recorded at frequency rank #32,753, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛlm]. scheue is at rank #42,110, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɔɪ̯ə].
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 74863, this pair ranks #322,504 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Schelm vs scheue
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "Schelm": lm. Private to "scheue": u.
"Schelm" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "scheue" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schelm" and "scheue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Schelm" or "scheue"?
Remembering Schelm vs scheue
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Schelm”; for an adjective, it's “scheue”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Schelm” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable