schreitenvsschrienWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,604
“schreiten” frequency rank
#46,261
“schrien” frequency rank
72865
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schreiten schrien
Definition betonte Ausdrucksweise für gehen; bewusst gehen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schreien

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schreiten and schrien apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
schreiten
7 ch
schrien

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schreiten ([ˈʃʁaɪ̯tn̩]) and schrien ([ʃʁiːn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72865, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schreiten is recorded at frequency rank #26,604, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʁaɪ̯tn̩]. schrien is at rank #46,261, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʁiːn].

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 72865, this pair ranks #376,411 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schreiten vs schrien

Shared letters: cehinrs. Private to "schreiten": t. Private to "schrien": -.

"schreiten" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC  ·  "schrien" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schreitencshreiten · scchreiten · scheriten · schhreiten · schreietn · schreitenn · schreitne · schreitten
  • schriencshrien · scchrien · schhrien · schiren · schrienn · schrine · schrrien · scrhien

Frequency comparison

schreiten#26,604
schrien#46,261

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schreiten" and "schrien" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʁaɪ̯tn̩] versus [ʃʁiːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schreiten" or "schrien"?
"schreiten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,604 in our German list, against #46,261 for "schrien". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schreiten vs schrien

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 “schreiten” 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