SchmissvsSchussConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#45,570
“Schmiss” frequency rank
#3,151
“Schuss” frequency rank
48721
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schmiss Schuss
Definition bei einer Mensur davongetragene Verletzung und die daraus entstandene Narbe Abfeuern einer Waffe

Where the eye mixes Schmiss and Schuss

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Schmiss runs 7 letters (CCCCVCC) against Schuss's 6 (CCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Schmiss
6 ch
Schuss

Look-alike desk: Schmiss vs Schuss

A purely visual mix-up. Schmiss ([ʃmɪs]) and Schuss ([ʃʊs]) 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 48721, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schmiss is recorded at frequency rank #45,570, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃmɪs]. Schuss is at rank #3,151, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃʊs].

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 48721, this pair ranks #1,238,122 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schmiss vs Schuss

Shared letters: chs. Private to "Schmiss": im. Private to "Schuss": u.

"Schmiss" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC  ·  "Schuss" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schmiss ← cshmiss · scchmiss · schhmiss · schimss · schmis · schmiß · schmmiss · schmsis
  • Schuss ← cshuss · scchuss · schhuss · schsus · schus · schuß · scuhss · shcuss

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Schmiss" for "Schuss" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃmɪs] versus [ʃʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Schmiss" or "Schuss" show up more?
"Schuss" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,151 in our German list, against #45,570 for "Schmiss". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Schmiss" and "Schuss" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schmiss" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schuss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,238,122 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schmiss" and "Schuss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlips vs Schmiss". 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 #1,238,122 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list