scheutvsschulWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#26,152
“scheut” frequency rank
#10,561
“schul” frequency rank
36713
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature scheut schul
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs scheuen 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schulen

Where the eye mixes scheut and schul

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
scheut
5 ch
schul

Why the eye confuses scheut with schul

A purely visual mix-up. scheut ([ʃɔɪ̯t]) and schul ([ʃuːl]) 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 36713, 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]. schul is at rank #10,561, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃuːl].

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 36713, this pair ranks #1,608,588 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of scheut vs schul

Shared letters: chsu. Private to "scheut": et. Private to "schul": l.

"scheut" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC  ·  "schul" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • scheutcsheut · sccheut · scehut · schetu · scheutt · schheut · schuet · shceut
  • schulcshul · scchul · schhul · schlu · schull · scuhl · shcul · sschul

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "scheut" for "schul" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃɔɪ̯t] versus [ʃuːl]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "scheut" vs "schul" - which ranks higher?
"schul" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,561 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.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "scheut" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schul" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,608,588 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "scheut" and "schul" 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 #1,608,588 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