Which to use
“shut” and “sur” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,728
- “shut” frequency rank
- #7,401
- “sur” frequency rank
- 55129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shut | sur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schließen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs suren |
Where the eye mixes shut and sur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: shut vs sur
A purely visual mix-up. shut ([ʃʌt]) and sur ([zuːɐ̯]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shut is recorded at frequency rank #47,728, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃʌt]. sur is at rank #7,401, tagged as averb, pronounced [zuːɐ̯].
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 55129, this pair ranks #991,624 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of shut vs sur
Shared letters: su. Private to "shut": ht. Private to "sur": r.
"shut" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "sur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- shut ← shhut · shtu · shutt · sshut · suht
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shut" and "sur" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "shut" or "sur"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "shut" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #991,624 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shut" and "sur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schütt vs shut". 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 #991,624 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.