Which to use
“scheren” and “scherze” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,054
- “scheren” frequency rank
- #24,110
- “scherze” frequency rank
- 42164
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheren | scherze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit einer Schere oder ähnlichem Gerät entfernen, etwas mit einer Schere oder ähnlichem Gerät von etwas befreien | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scherzen |
Where the eye mixes scheren and scherze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between scheren and scherze
A purely visual mix-up. scheren ([ˈʃeːʁən]) and scherze ([ˈʃɛʁt͡sə]) 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 42164, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheren is recorded at frequency rank #18,054, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃeːʁən]. scherze is at rank #24,110, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁt͡sə].
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 42164, this pair ranks #1,457,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scheren vs scherze
Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "scheren": n. Private to "scherze": z.
"scheren" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "scherze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scheren" and "scherze" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "scheren" or "scherze"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scherze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,457,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheren" and "scherze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scherze vs Schurke". 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 #1,457,650 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.