Which to use
“schweigen” and “schwelgen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,074
- “schweigen” frequency rank
- #34,355
- “schwelgen” frequency rank
- 37429
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schweigen | schwelgen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | still sein oder nicht reden | genießerisch, üppig speisen, trinken; luxuriös leben |
Where the eye mixes schweigen and schwelgen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schweigen (CCCCVVCVC) and schwelgen (CCCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses schweigen with schwelgen
A purely visual mix-up. schweigen ([ˈʃvaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 a single letter - i in “schweigen” becomes l in “schwelgen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37429, 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]. 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 37429, this pair ranks #1,590,482 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schweigen vs schwelgen
Shared letters: ceghnsw. Private to "schweigen": i. Private to "schwelgen": l.
"schweigen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC · "schwelgen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schweigen" for "schwelgen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schweigen" vs "schwelgen" - which ranks higher?
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 "schweigen" 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 #1,590,482 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schweigen" 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 #1,590,482 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.