Which to use
“schlürfen” and “schüren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,895
- “schlürfen” frequency rank
- #22,135
- “schüren” frequency rank
- 67030
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlürfen | schüren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas Flüssiges in kleinen Mengen geräuschvoll einsaugen, trinken | Feuer durch Herumstochern anfachen |
Where the eye mixes schlürfen and schüren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schlürfen runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against schüren's 7 (CCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schlürfen vs schüren
A purely visual mix-up. schlürfen ([ˈʃlʏʁfn̩]) and schüren ([ˈʃyːʁən]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlürfen is recorded at frequency rank #44,895, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlʏʁfn̩]. schüren is at rank #22,135, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃyːʁən].
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 67030, this pair ranks #553,536 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schlürfen vs schüren
Shared letters: cehnrsü. Private to "schlürfen": fl. Private to "schüren": -.
"schlürfen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schüren" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schlürfen" for "schüren" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "schlürfen" or "schüren" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlürfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schüren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #553,536 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlürfen" and "schüren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlürfen vs schnüren". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #553,536 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.