Which to use
“schwebe” and “schweige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,281
- “schwebe” frequency rank
- #39,619
- “schweige” frequency rank
- 72900
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwebe | schweige |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schweben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schweigen |
Where the eye mixes schwebe and schweige
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schwebe runs 7 letters (CCCCVCV) against schweige's 8 (CCCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schwebe and schweige
A purely visual mix-up. schwebe ([ˈʃveːbə]) and schweige ([ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡə]) 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 72900, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwebe is recorded at frequency rank #33,281, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃveːbə]. schweige is at rank #39,619, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡə].
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 72900, this pair ranks #375,355 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of schwebe vs schweige
Shared letters: cehsw. Private to "schwebe": b. Private to "schweige": gi.
"schwebe" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCV · "schweige" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schwebe" for "schweige" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schwebe" or "schweige"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schwebe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schweige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #375,355 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schwebe" and "schweige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schweige vs schwinge". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #375,355 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.