Which to use
“shame” is a verb and “state” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,491
- “shame” frequency rank
- #7,114
- “state” frequency rank
- 50605
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shame | state |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden beschämen | auf den Staat bezogen: staatlich |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set shame and state apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: shame is averb and stateanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50605, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shame is recorded at frequency rank #43,491, classified as averb, pronounced […]. state is at rank #7,114, tagged as anadj, pronounced [steit].
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 50605, this pair ranks #1,167,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of shame vs state
Shared letters: aes. Private to "shame": hm. Private to "state": t.
"shame" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "state" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shame" and "state" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "shame" or "state"?
Remembering shame vs state
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “shame”; for an adjective, it's “state”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “shame” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable