scherzevssicherteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,110
“scherze” frequency rank
#8,627
“sicherte” frequency rank
32737
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scherze sicherte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scherzen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sichern

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
scherze
8 ch
sicherte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. scherze ([ˈʃɛʁt͡sə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

scherze is recorded at frequency rank #24,110, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɛʁt͡sə]. 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 32737, this pair ranks #1,701,120 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of scherze vs sicherte

Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "scherze": z. Private to "sicherte": it.

"scherze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV  ·  "sicherte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scherzecsherze · sccherze · scehrze · scherez · scherrze · scherzze · schezre · schherze
  • sicherteischerte · sciherte · siccherte · sicehrte · sicheret · sicherrte · sichertte · sichetre

Frequency comparison

scherze#24,110
sicherte#8,627

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scherze" and "sicherte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɛʁt͡sə] versus [ˈzɪçɐtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "scherze" or "sicherte"?
"sicherte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,627 in our German list, against #24,110 for "scherze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering scherze 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 “scherze” 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