schervsStecherWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#36,007
“scher” frequency rank
#32,286
“Stecher” frequency rank
68293
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scher Stecher
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren Person, die Gravuren für Druckplatten oder dergleichen anfertigt

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
scher
7 ch
Stecher

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scher is [ʃeːɐ̯] while Stecher is [ˈʃtɛçɐ]. 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 68293, 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]. Stecher is at rank #32,286, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛçɐ].

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 68293, this pair ranks #512,445 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of scher vs Stecher

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

"scher" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC  ·  "Stecher" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schercsher · sccher · scehr · scherr · schher · schre · shcer · sscher
  • Stechersetcher · sstecher · stceher · steccher · stecehr · stecherr · stechher · stechre

Frequency comparison

scher#36,007
Stecher#32,286

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scher" and "Stecher" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "scher" is a verb and "Stecher" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "scher" or "Stecher"?
"Stecher" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,286 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 Stecher

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 “Stecher”.
  • 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