Which to use
“Scherben” and “Schurken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,399
- “Scherben” frequency rank
- #31,780
- “Schurken” frequency rank
- 49179
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scherben | Schurken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gebrannter, unglasierter Ton | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schurke |
Where the eye mixes Scherben and Schurken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Scherben and Schurken follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Scherben with Schurken
A purely visual mix-up. Scherben ([ˈʃɛʁbn̩]) and Schurken ([ˈʃʊʁkən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49179, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Scherben is recorded at frequency rank #17,399, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁbn̩]. Schurken is at rank #31,780, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊʁkən].
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 49179, this pair ranks #1,221,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Scherben vs Schurken
Shared letters: cehnrs. Private to "Scherben": b. Private to "Schurken": ku.
"Scherben" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "Schurken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Scherben" and "Schurken" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Scherben" or "Schurken" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Scherben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schurken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,221,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Scherben" and "Schurken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schurke vs Schurken". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,221,198 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.