SchlüsselnvsSchüsselnWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#43,473
“Schlüsseln” frequency rank
#40,835
“Schüsseln” frequency rank
84308
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlüsseln Schüsseln
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Schlüssel Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Schüssel

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schlüsseln and Schüsseln apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
Schlüsseln
9 ch
Schüsseln

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Schlüsseln ([ˈʃlʏsl̩n]) and Schüsseln ([ˈʃʏsl̩n]) 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 84308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlüsseln is recorded at frequency rank #43,473, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlʏsl̩n]. Schüsseln is at rank #40,835, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʏsl̩n].

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 84308, this pair ranks #125,847 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Schlüsseln vs Schüsseln

Shared letters: cehlnsü. Private to "Schlüsseln": -. Private to "Schüsseln": -.

"Schlüsseln" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCC  ·  "Schüsseln" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schlüsseln" and "Schüsseln" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃlʏsl̩n] versus [ˈʃʏsl̩n]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schlüsseln" or "Schüsseln"?
"Schüsseln" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,835 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