Which to use
“Schreck” and “Schrein” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,788
- “Schreck” frequency rank
- #22,490
- “Schrein” frequency rank
- 35278
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schreck | Schrein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | heftige Emotion, die durch die Wahrnehmung von etwas Unerwartetem oder Bedrohlichem ausgelöst wird | ein verschließbarer, meist kastenförmiger oder schrankähnlicher Behälter zur Aufbewahrung von kostbaren Dingen wie Reliquien oder Ähnlichem |
Where the eye mixes Schreck and Schrein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Schreck with Schrein
A purely visual mix-up. Schreck ([ʃʁɛk]) and Schrein ([ʃʁaɪ̯n]) 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 35278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schreck is recorded at frequency rank #12,788, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃʁɛk]. Schrein is at rank #22,490, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃʁaɪ̯n].
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 35278, this pair ranks #1,643,715 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schreck vs Schrein
Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "Schreck": k. Private to "Schrein": in.
"Schreck" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC · "Schrein" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schreck" and "Schrein" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Schreck" or "Schrein"?
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 "Schreck" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schrein" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,643,715 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schreck" and "Schrein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schreier vs Schrein". 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 #1,643,715 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.