Which to use
“schweben” and “schwelgen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,403
- “schweben” frequency rank
- #34,355
- “schwelgen” frequency rank
- 48758
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schweben | schwelgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einem Medium treiben | genießerisch, üppig speisen, trinken; luxuriös leben |
Where the eye mixes schweben and schwelgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schweben runs 8 letters (CCCCVCVC) against schwelgen's 9 (CCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schweben with schwelgen
A purely visual mix-up. schweben ([ˈʃveːbn̩]) and schwelgen ([ˈʃvɛlɡn̩]) 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 48758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schweben is recorded at frequency rank #14,403, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃveːbn̩]. schwelgen is at rank #34,355, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɛlɡn̩].
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 48758, this pair ranks #1,236,761 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schweben vs schwelgen
Shared letters: cehnsw. Private to "schweben": b. Private to "schwelgen": gl.
"schweben" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC · "schwelgen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schweben" and "schwelgen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schweben" or "schwelgen" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schweben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwelgen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,236,761 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schweben" and "schwelgen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schellen vs schwelgen". 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 #1,236,761 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.