Which to use
“schwer” and “sicher” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #446
- “schwer” frequency rank
- #270
- “sicher” frequency rank
- 716
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwer | sicher |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein hohes Gewicht habend | vor Gefahren geschützt |
Where the eye mixes schwer and sicher
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schwer with sicher
A purely visual mix-up. schwer ([ʃveːɐ̯]) and sicher ([ˈzɪçɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 716, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwer is recorded at frequency rank #446, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃveːɐ̯]. sicher is at rank #270, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐ].
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 716, this pair ranks #2,005,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schwer vs sicher
Shared letters: cehrs. Private to "schwer": w. Private to "sicher": i.
"schwer" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC · "sicher" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schwer" for "sicher" ever safe?
Frequency check: "schwer" vs "sicher" - 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 "schwer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sicher" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schwer" and "sicher" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sacher vs schwer". 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 #2,005,451 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.