schickenvsSchurkenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schicken is a verb, Schurken is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schicken” is a verb and “Schurken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,709
“schicken” frequency rank
#31,780
“Schurken” frequency rank
33489
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schicken Schurken
Definition etwas oder jemanden von einem Ort zu einem anderen senden Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schurke

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
schicken
8 ch
Schurken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schicken is [ˈʃɪkn̩] while Schurken is [ˈʃʊʁkən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33489, 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]. Schurken is at rank #31,780, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊʁkən].

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 33489, this pair ranks #1,684,890 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schicken vs Schurken

Shared letters: cehkns. Private to "schicken": i. Private to "Schurken": ru.

"schicken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "Schurken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schickencshicken · scchicken · schciken · schhicken · schiccken · schicekn · schickenn · schickken
  • Schurkencshurken · scchurken · schhurken · schruken · schukren · schurekn · schurkenn · schurkken

Frequency comparison

schicken#1,709
Schurken#31,780

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schicken" and "Schurken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schicken" is a verb and "Schurken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schicken" or "Schurken"?
"schicken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,709 in our German list, against #31,780 for "Schurken". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering schicken vs Schurken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schicken”; for a noun, it's “Schurken”.
  • 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