SchikanevsSchikanenTell them apart

Which to use

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

#40,819
“Schikane” frequency rank
#42,788
“Schikanen” frequency rank
83607
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schikane Schikanen
Definition eine absichtlich gestellte Schwierigkeit, um irgendjemandem etwas zu erschweren; eine hämische Plackerei Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Schikane

Where the eye mixes Schikane and Schikanen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Schikane runs 8 letters (CCCVCVCV) against Schikanen's 9 (CCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Schikane
9 ch
Schikanen

Visual trap between Schikane and Schikanen

A purely visual mix-up. Schikane ([ʃiˈkaːnə]) and Schikanen ([ʃiˈkaːnən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Schikane” sits inside “Schikanen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83607, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schikane is recorded at frequency rank #40,819, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃiˈkaːnə]. Schikanen is at rank #42,788, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃiˈkaːnən].

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 83607, this pair ranks #137,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Schikane vs Schikanen

Shared letters: acehikns. Private to "Schikane": -. Private to "Schikanen": -.

"Schikane" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCVCV  ·  "Schikanen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schikane ← cshikane · scchikane · schhikane · schiakne · schikaen · schikanne · schikkane · schiknae
  • Schikanen ← cshikanen · scchikanen · schhikanen · schiaknen · schikaenn · schikanenn · schikannen · schikkanen

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Schikane" and "Schikanen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ʃiˈkaːnə] versus [ʃiˈkaːnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Schikane" vs "Schikanen" - which ranks higher?
"Schikane" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,819 in our German list, against #42,788 for "Schikanen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Schikane" and "Schikanen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schikane" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schikanen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #137,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schikane" and "Schikanen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schikane vs Schwäne". 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 #137,085 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