schossenvsschubsenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,052
“schossen” frequency rank
#31,262
“schubsen” frequency rank
51314
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schossen schubsen
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schießen leicht anstoßen, so dass das, was berührt wird, sich auch bewegt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schossen and schubsen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
schossen
8 ch
schubsen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schossen ([ˈʃɔsn̩]) and schubsen ([ˈʃʊpsn̩]) 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 51314, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schossen is recorded at frequency rank #20,052, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɔsn̩]. schubsen is at rank #31,262, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʊpsn̩].

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 51314, this pair ranks #1,140,204 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schossen vs schubsen

Shared letters: cehns. Private to "schossen": o. Private to "schubsen": bu.

"schossen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "schubsen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schossencshossen · scchossen · schhossen · schosen · schosesn · schossenn · schossne · schoßen
  • schubsencshubsen · scchubsen · schbusen · schhubsen · schubbsen · schubesn · schubsenn · schubsne

Frequency comparison

schossen#20,052
schubsen#31,262

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schossen" and "schubsen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɔsn̩] versus [ˈʃʊpsn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schossen" or "schubsen"?
"schossen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,052 in our German list, against #31,262 for "schubsen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schossen vs schubsen

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 “schossen” 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