schreibevsschreibstWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,397
“schreibe” frequency rank
#6,722
“schreibst” frequency rank
10119
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schreibe schreibst
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schreiben 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schreiben

Where the eye mixes schreibe and schreibst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schreibe runs 8 letters (CCCCVVCV) against schreibst's 9 (CCCCVVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
schreibe
9 ch
schreibst

Why the eye confuses schreibe with schreibst

A purely visual mix-up. schreibe ([ˈʃʁaɪ̯bə]) and schreibst ([ʃʁaɪ̯pst]) 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 10119, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schreibe is recorded at frequency rank #3,397, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʁaɪ̯bə]. schreibst is at rank #6,722, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʁaɪ̯pst].

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 10119, this pair ranks #1,976,700 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schreibe vs schreibst

Shared letters: bcehirs. Private to "schreibe": -. Private to "schreibst": t.

"schreibe" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVCV  ·  "schreibst" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schreibe ← cshreibe · scchreibe · scheribe · schhreibe · schrebie · schreibbe · schreieb · schriebe
  • schreibst ← cshreibst · scchreibst · scheribst · schhreibst · schrebist · schreibbst · schreibsst · schreibstt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "schreibe" for "schreibst" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʁaɪ̯bə] versus [ʃʁaɪ̯pst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schreibe" or "schreibst"?
"schreibe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,397 in our German list, against #6,722 for "schreibst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "schreibe" and "schreibst" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schreibe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schreibst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,976,700 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schreibe" and "schreibst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schreibe vs Schreier". 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 #1,976,700 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list