SchuhevsSchuldWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#2,039
“Schuhe” frequency rank
#999
“Schuld” frequency rank
3038
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schuhe Schuld
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Schuh Verbindlichkeit, Pflicht, etwas zu tun oder zu unterlassen

Where the eye mixes Schuhe and Schuld

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Schuhe
6 ch
Schuld

Why the eye confuses Schuhe with Schuld

A purely visual mix-up. Schuhe ([ˈʃuːə]) and Schuld ([ʃʊlt]) 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 3038, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schuhe is recorded at frequency rank #2,039, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃuːə]. Schuld is at rank #999, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃʊlt].

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 3038, this pair ranks #2,001,083 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schuhe vs Schuld

Shared letters: chsu. Private to "Schuhe": e. Private to "Schuld": dl.

"Schuhe" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV  ·  "Schuld" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schuhecshuhe · scchuhe · schhue · schhuhe · schueh · schuhhe · scuhhe · shcuhe
  • Schuldcshuld · scchuld · schhuld · schlud · schudl · schuldd · schulld · scuhld

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Schuhe" for "Schuld" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃuːə] versus [ʃʊlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schuhe" or "Schuld"?
"Schuld" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #999 in our German list, against #2,039 for "Schuhe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schuhe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schuld" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,001,083 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schuhe" and "Schuld" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schuhe vs Schurke". 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 #2,001,083 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