Which to use
“Schelm” is a noun and “scheut” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,753
- “Schelm” frequency rank
- #26,152
- “scheut” frequency rank
- 58905
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schelm | scheut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mensch, der gerne scherzt und neckt | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheuen |
Where the eye mixes Schelm and scheut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Schelm with scheut
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schelm is [ʃɛlm] while scheut is [ʃɔɪ̯t]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58905, 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]. scheut is at rank #26,152, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃɔɪ̯t].
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 58905, this pair ranks #844,861 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schelm vs scheut
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "Schelm": lm. Private to "scheut": tu.
"Schelm" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "scheut" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schelm" and "scheut" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Schelm" or "scheut"?
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 "Schelm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scheut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #844,861 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schelm" and "scheut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schalk vs Schelm". 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 #844,861 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.