Which to use
“scheuen” and “schneien” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,380
- “scheuen” frequency rank
- #42,114
- “schneien” frequency rank
- 60494
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheuen | schneien |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas (häufig aus Angst) vermeiden oder meiden | in Form von Schneeflocken vom Himmel fallen |
Where the eye mixes scheuen and schneien
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. scheuen runs 7 letters (CCCVVVC) against schneien's 8 (CCCCVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses scheuen with schneien
A purely visual mix-up. scheuen ([ˈʃɔɪ̯ən]) and schneien ([ˈʃnaɪ̯ən]) 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 60494, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scheuen is recorded at frequency rank #18,380, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɔɪ̯ən]. schneien is at rank #42,114, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃnaɪ̯ən].
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 60494, this pair ranks #784,915 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scheuen vs schneien
Shared letters: cehns. Private to "scheuen": u. Private to "schneien": i.
"scheuen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVVC · "schneien" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scheuen" for "schneien" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scheuen" or "schneien"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheuen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schneien" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #784,915 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheuen" and "schneien" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schneien vs Schreier". 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 #784,915 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.