Which to use
“schieben” and “schmieren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,529
- “schieben” frequency rank
- #24,499
- “schmieren” frequency rank
- 30028
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schieben | schmieren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Gegenstand durch mechanischen Druck bewegen | etwas mit etwas bestreichen |
Where the eye mixes schieben and schmieren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between schieben and schmieren
A purely visual mix-up. schieben ([ˈʃiːbn̩]) and schmieren ([ˈʃmiːʁən]) 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 30028, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schieben is recorded at frequency rank #5,529, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃiːbn̩]. schmieren is at rank #24,499, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmiːʁən].
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 30028, this pair ranks #1,755,776 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schieben vs schmieren
Shared letters: cehins. Private to "schieben": b. Private to "schmieren": mr.
"schieben" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC · "schmieren" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schieben" for "schmieren" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schieben" or "schmieren"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schieben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schmieren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,755,776 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schieben" and "schmieren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schmiere vs schmieren". 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 #1,755,776 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.