SchulzevsSchurkeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Schulze” and “Schurke” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,089
“Schulze” frequency rank
#49,237
“Schurke” frequency rank
58326
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schulze Schurke
Definition in früheren Jahrhunderten Vorsteher eines Dorfes, der die Abgaben für den Grundherrn einforderte jemand, der moralisch verwerflich handelt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schulze and Schurke apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Schulze
7 ch
Schurke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Schulze ([ˈʃʊlt͡sə]) and Schurke ([ˈʃʊʁkə]) 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 58326, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schulze is recorded at frequency rank #9,089, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊlt͡sə]. Schurke is at rank #49,237, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊʁkə].

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 58326, this pair ranks #867,121 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schulze vs Schurke

Shared letters: cehsu. Private to "Schulze": lz. Private to "Schurke": kr.

"Schulze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV  ·  "Schurke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schulzecshulze · scchulze · schhulze · schluze · schulez · schullze · schulzze · schuzle
  • Schurkecshurke · scchurke · schhurke · schruke · schukre · schurek · schurkke · schurrke

Frequency comparison

Schulze#9,089
Schurke#49,237

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schulze" and "Schurke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʊlt͡sə] versus [ˈʃʊʁkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schulze" or "Schurke"?
"Schulze" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,089 in our German list, against #49,237 for "Schurke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Schulze vs Schurke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Schulze” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list