Which to use
“Schulden” is a noun and “schuldig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,150
- “Schulden” frequency rank
- #4,553
- “schuldig” frequency rank
- 7703
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schulden | schuldig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die gesamten Verpflichtungen (Passiva) einer Person oder einer Firma, die dem vorhandenen Vermögen (Aktiva) gegenüber stehen | für etwas die Schuld tragend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schulden and schuldig apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schulden is [ˈʃʊldn̩] while schuldig is [ˈʃʊldɪç]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7703, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schulden is recorded at frequency rank #3,150, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊldn̩]. 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 7703, this pair ranks #1,987,229 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schulden vs schuldig
Shared letters: cdhlsu. Private to "Schulden": en. Private to "schuldig": gi.
"Schulden" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "schuldig" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schulden" and "schuldig" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Schulden" or "schuldig"?
Remembering Schulden vs schuldig
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Schulden”; for an adjective, it's “schuldig”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Schulden” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable