Which to use
“Schikane” and “Schwäne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,819
- “Schikane” frequency rank
- #39,620
- “Schwäne” frequency rank
- 80439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schikane | Schwäne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine absichtlich gestellte Schwierigkeit, um irgendjemandem etwas zu erschweren; eine hämische Plackerei | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Schwan |
Where the eye mixes Schikane and Schwäne
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Schikane runs 8 letters (CCCVCVCV) against Schwäne's 7 (CCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Schikane vs Schwäne
A purely visual mix-up. Schikane ([ʃiˈkaːnə]) and Schwäne ([ˈʃvɛːnə]) 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 80439, 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]. Schwäne is at rank #39,620, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃvɛːnə].
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 80439, this pair ranks #195,580 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Schikane vs Schwäne
Shared letters: cehns. Private to "Schikane": aik. Private to "Schwäne": wä.
"Schikane" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCVCV · "Schwäne" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Schikane ← cshikane · scchikane · schhikane · schiakne · schikaen · schikanne · schikkane · schiknae
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schikane" for "Schwäne" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Schikane" or "Schwäne" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Schikane" and "Schwäne" 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 "Schwäne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #195,580 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schikane" and "Schwäne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schwäne vs schwanke". 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 #195,580 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.