Which to use
“schicken” and “schieben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,709
- “schicken” frequency rank
- #5,529
- “schieben” frequency rank
- 7238
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schicken | schieben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder jemanden von einem Ort zu einem anderen senden | einen Gegenstand durch mechanischen Druck bewegen |
Where the eye mixes schicken and schieben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schicken with schieben
A purely visual mix-up. schicken ([ˈʃɪkn̩]) and schieben ([ˈʃiːbn̩]) 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 7238, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schicken is recorded at frequency rank #1,709, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɪkn̩]. schieben is at rank #5,529, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃiːbn̩].
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 7238, this pair ranks #1,988,906 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schicken vs schieben
Shared letters: cehins. Private to "schicken": k. Private to "schieben": b.
"schicken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "schieben" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schicken" for "schieben" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schicken" vs "schieben" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schicken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schieben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,906 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schicken" and "schieben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schieben vs schlieren". 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 #1,988,906 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.