schuftenvsschüttenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,256
“schuften” frequency rank
#30,759
“schütten” frequency rank
63015
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schuften schütten
Definition hart/schwer arbeiten etwas durch starkes Kippen aus einem Gefäß entfernen

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
schuften
8 ch
schütten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schuften ([ˈʃʊftn̩]) and schütten ([ˈʃʏtn̩]) 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 63015, 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]. schütten is at rank #30,759, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʏtn̩].

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 63015, this pair ranks #691,859 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schuften vs schütten

Shared letters: cehnst. Private to "schuften": fu. Private to "schütten": ü.

"schuften" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "schütten" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schuftencshuften · scchuften · schfuten · schhuften · schufetn · schufften · schuftenn · schuftne

Frequency comparison

schuften#32,256
schütten#30,759

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schuften" and "schütten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʊftn̩] versus [ˈʃʏtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schuften" or "schütten"?
"schütten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,759 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 schütten

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 “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