schiedenvsschwindenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,773
“schieden” frequency rank
#31,783
“schwinden” frequency rank
63556
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schieden schwinden
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs scheiden in bedenklichem Maße nachlassen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schieden and schwinden apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
schieden
9 ch
schwinden

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schieden ([ˈʃiːdn̩]) and schwinden ([ˈʃvɪndn̩]) 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 63556, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schieden is recorded at frequency rank #31,773, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃiːdn̩]. schwinden is at rank #31,783, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɪndn̩].

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 63556, this pair ranks #672,593 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schieden vs schwinden

Shared letters: cdehins. Private to "schieden": -. Private to "schwinden": w.

"schieden" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC  ·  "schwinden" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schiedencshieden · scchieden · schhieden · schideen · schiedden · schiedenn · schiedne · schieedn
  • schwindencshwinden · scchwinden · schhwinden · schiwnden · schwidnen · schwindden · schwindenn · schwindne

Frequency comparison

schieden#31,773
schwinden#31,783

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schieden" and "schwinden" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃiːdn̩] versus [ˈʃvɪndn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schieden" or "schwinden"?
"schieden" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,773 in our German list, against #31,783 for "schwinden". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schieden vs schwinden

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 “schieden” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list