SchlüssevsSchlüsselnWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,686
“Schlüsse” frequency rank
#43,473
“Schlüsseln” frequency rank
57159
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlüsse Schlüsseln
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Schluss Dativ Plural des Substantivs Schlüssel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schlüsse and Schlüsseln apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Schlüsse
10 ch
Schlüsseln

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Schlüsse ([ˈʃlʏsə]) and Schlüsseln ([ˈʃlʏsl̩n]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Schlüsse” sits inside “Schlüsseln”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlüsse is recorded at frequency rank #13,686, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlʏsə]. Schlüsseln is at rank #43,473, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlʏsl̩n].

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 57159, this pair ranks #912,191 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schlüsse vs Schlüsseln

Shared letters: cehlsü. Private to "Schlüsse": -. Private to "Schlüsseln": n.

"Schlüsse" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV  ·  "Schlüsseln" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schlüsse" and "Schlüsseln" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃlʏsə] versus [ˈʃlʏsl̩n]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schlüsse" or "Schlüsseln"?
"Schlüsse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,686 in our German list, against #43,473 for "Schlüsseln". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list