Which to use
“schweigen” is a verb and “Schweigens” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,074
- “schweigen” frequency rank
- #37,764
- “Schweigens” frequency rank
- 40838
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schweigen | Schweigens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | still sein oder nicht reden | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Schweigen |
Where the eye mixes schweigen and Schweigens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schweigen runs 9 letters (CCCCVVCVC) against Schweigens's 10 (CCCCVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schweigen and Schweigens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schweigen is [ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡn̩] while Schweigens is [ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡəns]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “schweigen” sits inside “Schweigens”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schweigen is recorded at frequency rank #3,074, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡn̩]. Schweigens is at rank #37,764, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡəns].
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 40838, this pair ranks #1,496,865 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schweigen vs Schweigens
Shared letters: ceghinsw. Private to "schweigen": -. Private to "Schweigens": -.
"schweigen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC · "Schweigens" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schweigen ← cshweigen · scchweigen · schewigen · schhweigen · schwegien · schweiegn · schweigenn · schweiggen
- Schweigens ← cshweigens · scchweigens · schewigens · schhweigens · schwegiens · schweiegns · schweigenns · schweigenss
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schweigen" for "Schweigens" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "schweigen" or "Schweigens" show up more?
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 "schweigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schweigens" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,496,865 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schweigen" and "Schweigens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schweige vs Schweigens". 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 #1,496,865 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.