Which to use
“Schulden” and “Schurken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,150
- “Schulden” frequency rank
- #31,780
- “Schurken” frequency rank
- 34930
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schulden | Schurken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die gesamten Verpflichtungen (Passiva) einer Person oder einer Firma, die dem vorhandenen Vermögen (Aktiva) gegenüber stehen | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schurke |
Where the eye mixes Schulden and Schurken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Schulden and Schurken
A purely visual mix-up. Schulden ([ˈʃʊldn̩]) and Schurken ([ˈʃʊʁkən]) 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 34930, 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]. Schurken is at rank #31,780, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊʁkən].
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 34930, this pair ranks #1,651,992 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schulden vs Schurken
Shared letters: cehnsu. Private to "Schulden": dl. Private to "Schurken": kr.
"Schulden" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "Schurken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schulden" and "Schurken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Schulden" or "Schurken"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Schulden" and "Schurken" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schulden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schurken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,651,992 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schulden" and "Schurken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schurke vs Schurken". 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 #1,651,992 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.