Which to use
“Schergen” is a noun and “scheuen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,388
- “Schergen” frequency rank
- #18,380
- “scheuen” frequency rank
- 56768
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schergen | scheuen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Scherge | etwas (häufig aus Angst) vermeiden oder meiden |
Where the eye mixes Schergen and scheuen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Schergen runs 8 letters (CCCVCCVC) against scheuen's 7 (CCCVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Schergen vs scheuen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schergen is [ˈʃɛʁɡn̩] while scheuen is [ˈʃɔɪ̯ən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schergen is recorded at frequency rank #38,388, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁɡn̩]. scheuen is at rank #18,380, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɔɪ̯ən].
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 56768, this pair ranks #927,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schergen vs scheuen
Shared letters: cehns. Private to "Schergen": gr. Private to "scheuen": u.
"Schergen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "scheuen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schergen" for "scheuen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Schergen" or "scheuen"?
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 "Schergen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scheuen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #927,382 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schergen" and "scheuen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schellen vs Schergen". 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 #927,382 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.