schürenvsschwörenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#22,135
“schüren” frequency rank
#17,408
“schwören” frequency rank
39543
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schüren schwören
Definition Feuer durch Herumstochern anfachen einen Schwur oder Eid ablegen, abgeben, leisten

Where the eye mixes schüren and schwören

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schüren runs 7 letters (CCCVCVC) against schwören's 8 (CCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
schüren
8 ch
schwören

Visual trap between schüren and schwören

A purely visual mix-up. schüren ([ˈʃyːʁən]) and schwören ([ˈʃvøːʁən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39543, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schüren is recorded at frequency rank #22,135, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃyːʁən]. schwören is at rank #17,408, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvøːʁən].

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 39543, this pair ranks #1,533,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schüren vs schwören

Shared letters: cehnrs. Private to "schüren": ü. Private to "schwören": .

"schüren" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC  ·  "schwören" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schüren" and "schwören" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃyːʁən] versus [ˈʃvøːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schüren" vs "schwören" - which ranks higher?
"schwören" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,408 in our German list, against #22,135 for "schüren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schüren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schwören" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,533,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schüren" and "schwören" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schüren vs Schurke". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,533,849 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list