SchenkvsscherWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#10,557
“Schenk” frequency rank
#36,007
“scher” frequency rank
46564
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schenk scher
Definition ein Diener, der für das Einschenken zuständig ist 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schenk and scher apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Schenk
5 ch
scher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schenk is [ʃɛŋk] while scher is [ʃeːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46564, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schenk is recorded at frequency rank #10,557, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛŋk]. scher is at rank #36,007, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃeːɐ̯].

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 46564, this pair ranks #1,314,740 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schenk vs scher

Shared letters: cehs. Private to "Schenk": kn. Private to "scher": r.

"Schenk" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "scher" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schenkcshenk · scchenk · scehnk · schekn · schenkk · schennk · schhenk · schnek
  • schercsher · sccher · scehr · scherr · schher · schre · shcer · sscher

Frequency comparison

Schenk#10,557
scher#36,007

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schenk" and "scher" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Schenk" is a noun and "scher" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Schenk" or "scher"?
"Schenk" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,557 in our German list, against #36,007 for "scher". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Schenk vs scher

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Schenk”; for a verb, it's “scher”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Schenk” 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