Which to use
“scheuen” and “schoben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,380
- “scheuen” frequency rank
- #44,203
- “schoben” frequency rank
- 62583
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scheuen | schoben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas (häufig aus Angst) vermeiden oder meiden | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schieben |
Where the eye mixes scheuen and schoben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. scheuen (CCCVVVC) and schoben (CCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses scheuen with schoben
A purely visual mix-up. scheuen ([ˈʃɔɪ̯ən]) and schoben ([ˈʃoːbn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62583, 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]. schoben is at rank #44,203, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃoːbn̩].
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 62583, this pair ranks #707,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scheuen vs schoben
Shared letters: cehns. Private to "scheuen": u. Private to "schoben": bo.
"scheuen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVVVC · "schoben" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scheuen" for "schoben" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scheuen" or "schoben"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "scheuen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schoben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #707,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scheuen" and "schoben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schoben vs schrien". 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 #707,577 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.