Which to use
“Scherz” is a noun and “schmerzt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,876
- “Scherz” frequency rank
- #13,687
- “schmerzt” frequency rank
- 19563
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Scherz | schmerzt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht ernst zu Nehmendes | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schmerzen |
Where the eye mixes Scherz and schmerzt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Scherz vs schmerzt
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Scherz is [ʃɛʁt͡s] while schmerzt is [ʃmɛʁt͡st]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 19563, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Scherz is recorded at frequency rank #5,876, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛʁt͡s]. schmerzt is at rank #13,687, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃmɛʁt͡st].
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 19563, this pair ranks #1,907,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Scherz vs schmerzt
Shared letters: cehrsz. Private to "Scherz": -. Private to "schmerzt": mt.
"Scherz" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "schmerzt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Scherz" and "schmerzt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Scherz" or "schmerzt"?
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 "Scherz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schmerzt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,907,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Scherz" and "schmerzt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmerzt vs schmiert". 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 #1,907,039 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.