Which to use
“schwer” and “schweren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #446
- “schwer” frequency rank
- #2,264
- “schweren” frequency rank
- 2710
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwer | schweren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein hohes Gewicht habend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs schwer |
Where the eye mixes schwer and schweren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schwer runs 6 letters (CCCCVC) against schweren's 8 (CCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schwer vs schweren
A purely visual mix-up. schwer ([ʃveːɐ̯]) and schweren ([ˈʃveːʁən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “schwer” sits inside “schweren”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2710, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwer is recorded at frequency rank #446, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃveːɐ̯]. schweren is at rank #2,264, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃveːʁən].
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 2710, this pair ranks #2,001,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schwer vs schweren
Shared letters: cehrsw. Private to "schwer": -. Private to "schweren": n.
"schwer" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC · "schweren" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schwer" for "schweren" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schwer" vs "schweren" - 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 "schwer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schweren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,751 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schwer" and "schweren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlieren vs schweren". 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 #2,001,751 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.