Which to use
“schert” and “scherze” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,911
- “schert” frequency rank
- #24,110
- “scherze” frequency rank
- 49021
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schert | scherze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scherzen |
Where the eye mixes schert and scherze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schert runs 6 letters (CCCVCC) against scherze's 7 (CCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schert vs scherze
A purely visual mix-up. schert ([ʃeːɐ̯t]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49021, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schert is recorded at frequency rank #24,911, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃeːɐ̯t]. 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 49021, this pair ranks #1,226,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schert vs scherze
Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "schert": t. Private to "scherze": z.
"schert" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "scherze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schert" for "scherze" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schert" vs "scherze" - which ranks higher?
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 "schert" 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 #1,226,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schert" 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 #1,226,977 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.