schuftenvsSchulterWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schuften is a verb, Schulter is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schuften” is a verb and “Schulter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,256
“schuften” frequency rank
#4,158
“Schulter” frequency rank
36414
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schuften Schulter
Definition hart/schwer arbeiten Körperregion bei Wirbeltieren zwischen Halsansatz und den Schultergelenken

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
schuften
8 ch
Schulter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schuften is [ˈʃʊftn̩] while Schulter is [ˈʃʊltɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36414, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schuften is recorded at frequency rank #32,256, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʊftn̩]. Schulter is at rank #4,158, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊltɐ].

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 36414, this pair ranks #1,616,191 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schuften vs Schulter

Shared letters: cehstu. Private to "schuften": fn. Private to "Schulter": lr.

"schuften" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "Schulter" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schuftencshuften · scchuften · schfuten · schhuften · schufetn · schufften · schuftenn · schuftne
  • Schultercshulter · scchulter · schhulter · schluter · schuletr · schullter · schulterr · schultre

Frequency comparison

schuften#32,256
Schulter#4,158

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schuften" and "Schulter" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schuften" is a verb and "Schulter" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schuften" or "Schulter"?
"Schulter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,158 in our German list, against #32,256 for "schuften". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schuften vs Schulter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schuften”; for a noun, it's “Schulter”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schuften” 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