Which to use
“Schnecke” and “Schreck” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,401
- “Schnecke” frequency rank
- #12,788
- “Schreck” frequency rank
- 33189
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schnecke | Schreck |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (in zahlreichen land- und wasserlebenden Arten vorkommendes) längliches Weichtier mit zwei Paar Fühlern am Kopf (wobei sich am Ende des oberen Paares die Augen befinden), auf dessen Rückenseite sich häufig ein zumeist spiralförmig gewundenes, aus Kalk bestehendes Gehäuse befindet, und dessen landlebende Vertreter sich auf einer Spur selbst abgesonderten Schleims auf der bauchseitigen Kriechsohle sehr langsam fortbewegen | heftige Emotion, die durch die Wahrnehmung von etwas Unerwartetem oder Bedrohlichem ausgelöst wird |
Where the eye mixes Schnecke and Schreck
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Schnecke vs Schreck
A purely visual mix-up. Schnecke ([ˈʃnɛkə]) and Schreck ([ʃʁɛk]) 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 33189, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schnecke is recorded at frequency rank #20,401, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃnɛkə]. Schreck is at rank #12,788, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃʁɛk].
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 33189, this pair ranks #1,691,368 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schnecke vs Schreck
Shared letters: cehks. Private to "Schnecke": n. Private to "Schreck": r.
"Schnecke" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV · "Schreck" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schnecke" for "Schreck" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Schnecke" vs "Schreck" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schnecke" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schreck" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,691,368 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schnecke" and "Schreck" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlucke vs Schnecke". 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 #1,691,368 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.