Which to use
“scherzt” and “scheut” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,991
- “scherzt” frequency rank
- #26,152
- “scheut” frequency rank
- 65143
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scherzt | scheut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scherzen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheuen |
Where the eye mixes scherzt and scheut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: scherzt vs scheut
A purely visual mix-up. scherzt ([ʃɛʁt͡st]) and scheut ([ʃɔɪ̯t]) 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 65143, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scherzt is recorded at frequency rank #38,991, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃɛʁt͡st]. scheut is at rank #26,152, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃɔɪ̯t].
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 65143, this pair ranks #617,075 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scherzt vs scheut
Shared letters: cehst. Private to "scherzt": rz. Private to "scheut": u.
"scherzt" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC · "scheut" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scherzt" and "scheut" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "scherzt" or "scheut"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "scherzt" and "scheut" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "scherzt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scheut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #617,075 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scherzt" and "scheut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scher vs scherzt". 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 #617,075 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.