Which to use
“Schuld” is a noun and “schuldig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #999
- “Schuld” frequency rank
- #4,553
- “schuldig” frequency rank
- 5552
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schuld | schuldig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Verbindlichkeit, Pflicht, etwas zu tun oder zu unterlassen | für etwas die Schuld tragend |
Where the eye mixes Schuld and schuldig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Schuld and schuldig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schuld is [ʃʊlt] while schuldig is [ˈʃʊldɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Schuld” sits inside “schuldig”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5552, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schuld is recorded at frequency rank #999, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃʊlt]. schuldig is at rank #4,553, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃʊldɪç].
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 5552, this pair ranks #1,994,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schuld vs schuldig
Shared letters: cdhlsu. Private to "Schuld": -. Private to "schuldig": gi.
"Schuld" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "schuldig" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schuld" and "schuldig" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Schuld" or "schuldig"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schuld" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schuldig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,994,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schuld" and "schuldig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schulde vs schuldig". 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 #1,994,425 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.