schimpfenvsschöpfenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,381
“schimpfen” frequency rank
#17,127
“schöpfen” frequency rank
35508
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schimpfen schöpfen
Definition (einer anderen Person) seinen Ärger kundtun etwas aus einer großen Menge Flüssigkeit entnehmen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schimpfen and schöpfen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
schimpfen
8 ch
schöpfen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schimpfen ([ˈʃɪmp͡fn̩]) and schöpfen ([ˈʃœp͡fn̩]) 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 35508, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schimpfen is recorded at frequency rank #18,381, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɪmp͡fn̩]. schöpfen is at rank #17,127, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃœp͡fn̩].

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 35508, this pair ranks #1,638,345 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schimpfen vs schöpfen

Shared letters: cefhnps. Private to "schimpfen": im. Private to "schöpfen": ö.

"schimpfen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCVC  ·  "schöpfen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schimpfencshimpfen · scchimpfen · schhimpfen · schimfpen · schimmpfen · schimpefn · schimpfenn · schimpffen

Frequency comparison

schimpfen#18,381
schöpfen#17,127

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schimpfen" and "schöpfen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɪmp͡fn̩] versus [ˈʃœp͡fn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schimpfen" or "schöpfen"?
"schöpfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,127 in our German list, against #18,381 for "schimpfen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schimpfen vs schöpfen

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 “schimpfen” 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