SchurkevsSchützeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#49,237
“Schurke” frequency rank
#9,629
“Schütze” frequency rank
58866
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schurke Schütze
Definition jemand, der moralisch verwerflich handelt jemand, dessen Tätigkeit das Schießen ist

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schurke and Schütze apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Schurke
7 ch
Schütze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Schurke ([ˈʃʊʁkə]) and Schütze ([ˈʃʏt͡sə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58866, 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]. Schütze is at rank #9,629, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʏt͡sə].

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 58866, this pair ranks #846,328 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schurke vs Schütze

Shared letters: cehs. Private to "Schurke": kru. Private to "Schütze": tzü.

"Schurke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV  ·  "Schütze" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

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

Frequency comparison

Schurke#49,237
Schütze#9,629

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schurke" and "Schütze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʊʁkə] versus [ˈʃʏt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Schurke" or "Schütze"?
"Schütze" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,629 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 Schütze

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