schervsSechserWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#36,007
“scher” frequency rank
#41,458
“Sechser” frequency rank
77465
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scher Sechser
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren Kombination aus sechs richtigen Gewinnzahlen im Lotto

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
scher
7 ch
Sechser

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scher is [ʃeːɐ̯] while Sechser is [ˈzɛksɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77465, 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]. Sechser is at rank #41,458, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈzɛksɐ].

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 77465, this pair ranks #260,062 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of scher vs Sechser

Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "scher": -. Private to "Sechser": -.

"scher" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC  ·  "Sechser" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schercsher · sccher · scehr · scherr · schher · schre · shcer · sscher
  • Sechsereschser · scehser · secchser · sechesr · sechhser · sechserr · sechsre · sechsser

Frequency comparison

scher#36,007
Sechser#41,458

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scher" and "Sechser" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "scher" is a verb and "Sechser" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "scher" or "Sechser"?
"scher" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,007 in our German list, against #41,458 for "Sechser". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering scher vs Sechser

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “scher”; for a noun, it's “Sechser”.
  • 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