schertvssicherteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“schert” and “sicherte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#24,911
“schert” frequency rank
#8,627
“sicherte” frequency rank
33538
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schert sicherte
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheren 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sichern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schert and sicherte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
schert
8 ch
sicherte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schert ([ʃeːɐ̯t]) and sicherte ([ˈzɪçɐtə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33538, 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]. sicherte is at rank #8,627, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐtə].

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 33538, this pair ranks #1,683,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schert vs sicherte

Shared letters: cehrst. Private to "schert": -. Private to "sicherte": i.

"schert" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "sicherte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schertcshert · scchert · scehrt · scherrt · schertt · schetr · schhert · schret
  • sicherteischerte · sciherte · siccherte · sicehrte · sicheret · sicherrte · sichertte · sichetre

Frequency comparison

schert#24,911
sicherte#8,627

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schert" and "sicherte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃeːɐ̯t] versus [ˈzɪçɐtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schert" or "sicherte"?
"sicherte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,627 in our German list, against #24,911 for "schert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schert vs sicherte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schert” 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