Which to use
“schier” is an adjective and “schwieg” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,199
- “schier” frequency rank
- #34,900
- “schwieg” frequency rank
- 50099
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schier | schwieg |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | rein, von gleichmäßiger Beschaffenheit, ohne Beimengung | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schweigen |
Where the eye mixes schier and schwieg
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schier runs 6 letters (CCCVVC) against schwieg's 7 (CCCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schier with schwieg
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schier is [ʃiːɐ̯] while schwieg is [ʃviːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50099, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schier is recorded at frequency rank #15,199, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃiːɐ̯]. schwieg is at rank #34,900, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃviːk].
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 50099, this pair ranks #1,186,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schier vs schwieg
Shared letters: cehis. Private to "schier": r. Private to "schwieg": gw.
"schier" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC · "schwieg" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schier" and "schwieg" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schier" or "schwieg" show up more?
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 "schier" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwieg" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,186,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schier" and "schwieg" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schwieg vs schwinge". 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 #1,186,686 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.