Which to use
“Schlosser” and “Schlüssel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,029
- “Schlosser” frequency rank
- #3,149
- “Schlüssel” frequency rank
- 22178
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schlosser | Schlüssel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Handwerker oder Industriearbeiter, der Metall und Kunststoff ver- oder bearbeitet oder Gegenstände repariert, montiert oder instand hält | Gegenstand zum Schließen und Öffnen eines Schlosses |
Where the eye mixes Schlosser and Schlüssel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Schlosser and Schlüssel follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Schlosser with Schlüssel
A purely visual mix-up. Schlosser ([ˈʃlɔsɐ]) and Schlüssel ([ˈʃlʏsl̩]) 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 22178, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schlosser is recorded at frequency rank #19,029, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɔsɐ]. Schlüssel is at rank #3,149, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlʏsl̩].
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 22178, this pair ranks #1,877,349 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schlosser vs Schlüssel
Shared letters: cehls. Private to "Schlosser": or. Private to "Schlüssel": ü.
"Schlosser" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "Schlüssel" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Schlosser ← cshlosser · scchlosser · schhlosser · schllosser · schloser · schlosesr · schlosserr · schlossre
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schlosser" and "Schlüssel" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Schlosser" or "Schlüssel" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schlosser" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schlüssel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,877,349 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schlosser" and "Schlüssel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schleuser vs Schlosser". 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 #1,877,349 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.