Which to use
“Schelm” and “Schill” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,753
- “Schelm” frequency rank
- #39,612
- “Schill” frequency rank
- 72365
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schelm | Schill |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mensch, der gerne scherzt und neckt | andere Bezeichnung für den Zander, einen im Süßwasser lebenden Raubfisch aus der Familie der Barsche. Der taxonomische Name lautet Stizostedion lucioperca. |
Where the eye mixes Schelm and Schill
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Schelm vs Schill
A purely visual mix-up. Schelm ([ʃɛlm]) and Schill ([ʃɪl]) 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 72365, 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]. Schill is at rank #39,612, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃɪl].
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 72365, this pair ranks #390,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Schelm vs Schill
Shared letters: chls. Private to "Schelm": em. Private to "Schill": i.
"Schelm" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "Schill" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schelm" for "Schill" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Schelm" vs "Schill" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Schelm" and "Schill" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schelm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schill" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #390,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schelm" and "Schill" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schill vs schrille". 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 #390,425 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.