Which to use
“scheu” and “schwer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,198
- “scheu” frequency rank
- #446
- “schwer” frequency rank
- 15644
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheu | schwer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus Angst, Unbehagen oder Scham zurückhaltend und soziale Kontakte vermeidend | ein hohes Gewicht habend |
Where the eye mixes scheu and schwer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scheu with schwer
A purely visual mix-up. scheu ([ʃɔɪ̯]) and schwer ([ʃveːɐ̯]) 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 15644, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheu is recorded at frequency rank #15,198, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃɔɪ̯]. schwer is at rank #446, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃveːɐ̯].
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 15644, this pair ranks #1,942,236 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scheu vs schwer
Shared letters: cehs. Private to "scheu": u. Private to "schwer": rw.
"scheu" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV · "schwer" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "scheu" and "schwer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "scheu" vs "schwer" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,942,236 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheu" and "schwer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sacher vs scheu". 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 #1,942,236 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.