schervssichertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,007
“scher” frequency rank
#8,626
“sichert” frequency rank
44633
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
scher
7 ch
sichert

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. scher ([ʃeːɐ̯]) and sichert ([ˈzɪçɐt]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44633, 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]. sichert is at rank #8,626, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐt].

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 44633, this pair ranks #1,379,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of scher vs sichert

Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "scher": -. Private to "sichert": it.

"scher" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC  ·  "sichert" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schercsher · sccher · scehr · scherr · schher · schre · shcer · sscher
  • sichertischert · scihert · sicchert · sicehrt · sicherrt · sichertt · sichetr · sichhert

Frequency comparison

scher#36,007
sichert#8,626

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scher" and "sichert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃeːɐ̯] versus [ˈzɪçɐt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "scher" or "sichert"?
"sichert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,626 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 sichert

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