schienvsschürenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,148
“schien” frequency rank
#22,135
“schüren” frequency rank
25283
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schien schüren
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs scheinen Feuer durch Herumstochern anfachen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schien and schüren apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
schien
7 ch
schüren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schien ([ʃiːn]) and schüren ([ˈʃyːʁən]) 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 25283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schien is recorded at frequency rank #3,148, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃiːn]. schüren is at rank #22,135, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃyːʁən].

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 25283, this pair ranks #1,835,586 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schien vs schüren

Shared letters: cehns. Private to "schien": i. Private to "schüren": .

"schien" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC  ·  "schüren" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schiencshien · scchien · schhien · schienn · schine · scihen · shcien · sschien

Frequency comparison

schien#3,148
schüren#22,135

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schien" and "schüren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃiːn] versus [ˈʃyːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schien" or "schüren"?
"schien" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,148 in our German list, against #22,135 for "schüren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schien vs schüren

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 “schien” 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