schickenvsschiedenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,709
“schicken” frequency rank
#31,773
“schieden” frequency rank
33482
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schicken schieden
Definition etwas oder jemanden von einem Ort zu einem anderen senden 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs scheiden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schicken and schieden apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
schicken
8 ch
schieden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schicken ([ˈʃɪkn̩]) and schieden ([ˈʃiːdn̩]) 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 33482, 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]. schieden is at rank #31,773, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃiːdn̩].

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 33482, this pair ranks #1,685,068 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schicken vs schieden

Shared letters: cehins. Private to "schicken": k. Private to "schieden": d.

"schicken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "schieden" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schickencshicken · scchicken · schciken · schhicken · schiccken · schicekn · schickenn · schickken
  • schiedencshieden · scchieden · schhieden · schideen · schiedden · schiedenn · schiedne · schieedn

Frequency comparison

schicken#1,709
schieden#31,773

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schicken" and "schieden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɪkn̩] versus [ˈʃiːdn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schicken" or "schieden"?
"schicken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,709 in our German list, against #31,773 for "schieden". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering schicken vs schieden

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 “schicken” 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