Which to use
“schwänze” and “schwänzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,406
- “schwänze” frequency rank
- #24,118
- “schwänzen” frequency rank
- 38524
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwänze | schwänzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schwänzen | eine Veranstaltung oder ein Treffen trotz Verpflichtung nicht besuchen |
Where the eye mixes schwänze and schwänzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schwänze runs 8 letters (CCCCVCCV) against schwänzen's 9 (CCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schwänze with schwänzen
A purely visual mix-up. schwänze ([ˈʃvɛnt͡sə]) and schwänzen ([ˈʃvɛnt͡sn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “schwänze” sits inside “schwänzen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwänze is recorded at frequency rank #14,406, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɛnt͡sə]. schwänzen is at rank #24,118, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɛnt͡sn̩].
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 38524, this pair ranks #1,561,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schwänze vs schwänzen
Shared letters: cehnswzä. Private to "schwänze": -. Private to "schwänzen": -.
"schwänze" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV · "schwänzen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schwänze" for "schwänzen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schwänze" vs "schwänzen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schwänze" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwänzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,561,683 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schwänze" and "schwänzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schwanke vs schwänzen". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,561,683 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.