Which to use
“schleppen” and “schleusen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,922
- “schleppen” frequency rank
- #24,913
- “schleusen” frequency rank
- 39835
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schleppen | schleusen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schwer tragen, so dass man sich sehr dabei anstrengt | etwas (zum Beispiel ein Schiff) durch eine Schleuse bringen |
Where the eye mixes schleppen and schleusen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schleppen (CCCCVCCVC) and schleusen (CCCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses schleppen with schleusen
A purely visual mix-up. schleppen ([ˈʃlɛpn̩]) and schleusen ([ˈʃlɔɪ̯zn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39835, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schleppen is recorded at frequency rank #14,922, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlɛpn̩]. schleusen is at rank #24,913, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlɔɪ̯zn̩].
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 39835, this pair ranks #1,525,529 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schleppen vs schleusen
Shared letters: cehlns. Private to "schleppen": p. Private to "schleusen": u.
"schleppen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schleusen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schleppen" and "schleusen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schleppen" vs "schleusen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schleppen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schleusen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,525,529 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schleppen" and "schleusen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schleusen vs schmusen". 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 #1,525,529 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.