scheutvsschlugWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“scheut” and “schlug” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,152
“scheut” frequency rank
#2,786
“schlug” frequency rank
28938
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scheut schlug
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheuen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schlagen

Where the eye mixes scheut and schlug

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. scheut (CCCVVC) and schlug (CCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
scheut
6 ch
schlug

Why the eye confuses scheut with schlug

A purely visual mix-up. scheut ([ʃɔɪ̯t]) and schlug ([ʃluːk]) 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 28938, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

scheut is recorded at frequency rank #26,152, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃɔɪ̯t]. schlug is at rank #2,786, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃluːk].

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 28938, this pair ranks #1,775,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of scheut vs schlug

Shared letters: chsu. Private to "scheut": et. Private to "schlug": gl.

"scheut" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC  ·  "schlug" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scheut ← csheut · sccheut · scehut · schetu · scheutt · schheut · schuet · shceut
  • schlug ← cshlug · scchlug · schhlug · schlgu · schllug · schlugg · schulg · sclhug

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "scheut" for "schlug" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃɔɪ̯t] versus [ʃluːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "scheut" or "schlug" show up more?
"schlug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,786 in our German list, against #26,152 for "scheut". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "scheut" and "schlug" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "scheut" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schlug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,775,884 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "scheut" and "schlug" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scheut vs shut". 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 #1,775,884 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list