SchurkevsSchürzeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#49,237
“Schurke” frequency rank
#27,924
“Schürze” frequency rank
77161
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schurke Schürze
Definition jemand, der moralisch verwerflich handelt ein Kleidungsstück, welches man über der restlichen Kleidung trägt, um diese vor Schmutz zu schützen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Schurke
7 ch
Schürze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Schurke ([ˈʃʊʁkə]) and Schürze ([ˈʃʏʁt͡sə]) 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 77161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schurke is recorded at frequency rank #49,237, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊʁkə]. Schürze is at rank #27,924, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʏʁt͡sə].

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 77161, this pair ranks #267,096 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Schurke vs Schürze

Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "Schurke": ku. Private to "Schürze": .

"Schurke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV  ·  "Schürze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schurkecshurke · scchurke · schhurke · schruke · schukre · schurek · schurkke · schurrke

Frequency comparison

Schurke#49,237
Schürze#27,924

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schurke" and "Schürze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʊʁkə] versus [ˈʃʏʁt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schurke" or "Schürze"?
"Schürze" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,924 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 Schurke vs Schürze

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 “Schurke” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list