Which to use
“Schulden” and “Schule” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,150
- “Schulden” frequency rank
- #397
- “Schule” frequency rank
- 3547
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schulden | Schule |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die gesamten Verpflichtungen (Passiva) einer Person oder einer Firma, die dem vorhandenen Vermögen (Aktiva) gegenüber stehen | öffentliche oder private Einrichtung/Anstalt für den Unterricht |
Where the eye mixes Schulden and Schule
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Schulden and Schule
A purely visual mix-up. Schulden ([ˈʃʊldn̩]) and Schule ([ˈʃuːlə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3547, 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]. Schule is at rank #397, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃuːlə].
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 3547, this pair ranks #1,999,964 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schulden vs Schule
Shared letters: cehlsu. Private to "Schulden": dn. Private to "Schule": -.
"Schulden" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "Schule" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schulden" and "Schule" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Schulden" or "Schule" show up more?
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 "Schulden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schule" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,999,964 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schulden" and "Schule" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schellen vs Schulden". 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 #1,999,964 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.