Which to use
“schmoren” and “schwören” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,391
- “schmoren” frequency rank
- #17,408
- “schwören” frequency rank
- 55799
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmoren | schwören |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fleisch anbraten und dann in einem Topf langsam garen | einen Schwur oder Eid ablegen, abgeben, leisten |
Where the eye mixes schmoren and schwören
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schmoren and schwören follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses schmoren with schwören
A purely visual mix-up. schmoren ([ˈʃmoːʁən]) and schwören ([ˈʃvøːʁən]) 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 55799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schmoren is recorded at frequency rank #38,391, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmoːʁən]. schwören is at rank #17,408, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvøːʁən].
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 55799, this pair ranks #965,281 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schmoren vs schwören
Shared letters: cehnrs. Private to "schmoren": mo. Private to "schwören": wö.
"schmoren" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC · "schwören" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schmoren ← cshmoren · scchmoren · schhmoren · schmmoren · schmoern · schmorenn · schmorne · schmorren
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schmoren" for "schwören" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "schmoren" or "schwören" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schmoren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwören" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #965,281 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schmoren" and "schwören" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmoren vs schmusen". 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 #965,281 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.