schöpfenvsschossenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,127
“schöpfen” frequency rank
#20,052
“schossen” frequency rank
37179
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schöpfen schossen
Definition etwas aus einer großen Menge Flüssigkeit entnehmen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schießen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schöpfen and schossen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
schöpfen
8 ch
schossen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schöpfen ([ˈʃœp͡fn̩]) and schossen ([ˈʃɔsn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37179, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schöpfen is recorded at frequency rank #17,127, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃœp͡fn̩]. schossen is at rank #20,052, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɔsn̩].

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 37179, this pair ranks #1,596,815 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schöpfen vs schossen

Shared letters: cehns. Private to "schöpfen": fpö. Private to "schossen": o.

"schöpfen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "schossen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schossencshossen · scchossen · schhossen · schosen · schosesn · schossenn · schossne · schoßen

Frequency comparison

schöpfen#17,127
schossen#20,052

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schöpfen" and "schossen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃœp͡fn̩] versus [ˈʃɔsn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schöpfen" or "schossen"?
"schöpfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,127 in our German list, against #20,052 for "schossen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schöpfen vs schossen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schöpfen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list