SchiffesvsSchiffsTell them apart

Which to use

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

#12,580
“Schiffes” frequency rank
#21,413
“Schiffs” frequency rank
33993
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schiffes Schiffs
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schiff Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schiff

Where the eye mixes Schiffes and Schiffs

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

8 ch
Schiffes
7 ch
Schiffs

Visual trap between Schiffes and Schiffs

A purely visual mix-up. Schiffes ([ˈʃɪfəs]) and Schiffs ([ʃɪfs]) 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 33993, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schiffes is recorded at frequency rank #12,580, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃɪfəs]. Schiffs is at rank #21,413, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃɪfs].

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 33993, this pair ranks #1,673,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schiffes vs Schiffs

Shared letters: cfhis. Private to "Schiffes": e. Private to "Schiffs": -.

"Schiffes" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "Schiffs" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schiffescshiffes · scchiffes · schfifes · schhiffes · schifefs · schifes · schiffess · schiffse
  • Schiffscshiffs · scchiffs · schfifs · schhiffs · schiffss · schifs · schifsf · scihffs

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schiffes" and "Schiffs" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɪfəs] versus [ʃɪfs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Schiffes" or "Schiffs" show up more?
"Schiffes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,580 in our German list, against #21,413 for "Schiffs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schiffes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schiffs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,673,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schiffes" and "Schiffs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schiffs vs Schilf". 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 #1,673,451 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list