scheuenvsschobenWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set scheuen and schoben apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
scheuen
7 ch
schoben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • scheuencsheuen · sccheuen · scehuen · scheeun · scheuenn · schheuen · schueen · shceuen
  • schobencshoben · scchoben · schboen · schhoben · schobben · schobenn · schobne · schoebn

Frequency comparison

scheuen#18,380
schoben#44,203

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "scheuen" and "schoben" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɔɪ̯ən] versus [ˈʃoːbn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "scheuen" or "schoben"?
"scheuen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,380 in our German list, against #44,203 for "schoben". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering scheuen vs schoben

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 “scheuen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list