Which to use
“schul” and “shut” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,561
- “schul” frequency rank
- #47,728
- “shut” frequency rank
- 58289
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schul | shut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schulen | schließen |
Where the eye mixes schul and shut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: schul vs shut
A purely visual mix-up. schul ([ʃuːl]) and shut ([ʃʌt]) 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 58289, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schul is recorded at frequency rank #10,561, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃuːl]. shut is at rank #47,728, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʌt].
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 58289, this pair ranks #868,560 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schul vs shut
Shared letters: hsu. Private to "schul": cl. Private to "shut": t.
"schul" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "shut" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schul" for "shut" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schul" or "shut"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schul" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "shut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #868,560 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schul" and "shut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schütt vs shut". 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 #868,560 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.