schervsschertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“scher” and “schert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#36,007
“scher” frequency rank
#24,911
“schert” frequency rank
60918
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scher schert
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
scher
6 ch
schert

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. scher ([ʃeːɐ̯]) and schert ([ʃeːɐ̯t]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “scher” sits inside “schert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60918, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

scher is recorded at frequency rank #36,007, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃeːɐ̯]. schert is at rank #24,911, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃeːɐ̯t].

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 60918, this pair ranks #769,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of scher vs schert

Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "scher": -. Private to "schert": t.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schercsher · sccher · scehr · scherr · schher · schre · shcer · sscher
  • schertcshert · scchert · scehrt · scherrt · schertt · schetr · schhert · schret

Frequency comparison

scher#36,007
schert#24,911

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scher" and "schert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃeːɐ̯] versus [ʃeːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "scher" or "schert"?
"schert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,911 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 scher vs schert

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “scher” 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