schüttelnvsschütteltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,169
“schütteln” frequency rank
#18,057
“schüttelt” frequency rank
28226
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schütteln schüttelt
Definition einen Gegenstand oder eine Person schnell hin- und herbewegen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schütteln

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schütteln and schüttelt apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
schütteln
9 ch
schüttelt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schütteln ([ˈʃʏtl̩n]) and schüttelt ([ˈʃʏtl̩t]) 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 a single letter - n in “schütteln” becomes t in “schüttelt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schütteln is recorded at frequency rank #10,169, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʏtl̩n]. schüttelt is at rank #18,057, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃʏtl̩t].

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 28226, this pair ranks #1,788,437 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schütteln vs schüttelt

Shared letters: cehlstü. Private to "schütteln": n. Private to "schüttelt": -.

"schütteln" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC  ·  "schüttelt" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC

Frequency comparison

schütteln#10,169
schüttelt#18,057

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schütteln" and "schüttelt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃʏtl̩n] versus [ˈʃʏtl̩t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schütteln" or "schüttelt"?
"schütteln" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,169 in our German list, against #18,057 for "schüttelt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schütteln vs schüttelt

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 “schütteln” 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