Which to use
“Unschuld” is a noun and “unschuldig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,144
- “Unschuld” frequency rank
- #8,299
- “unschuldig” frequency rank
- 19443
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Unschuld | unschuldig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Fehlen von Schuld betreffend eines bestimmten Vorfalls oder strafrechtlichen Deliktes | ohne Schuld, nicht schuldig |
Where the eye mixes Unschuld and unschuldig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Unschuld runs 8 letters (VCCCCVCC) against unschuldig's 10 (VCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Unschuld vs unschuldig
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Unschuld is [ˈʊnˌʃʊlt] while unschuldig is [ˈʊnʃʊldɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Unschuld” sits inside “unschuldig”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19443, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Unschuld is recorded at frequency rank #11,144, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʊnˌʃʊlt]. unschuldig is at rank #8,299, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʊnʃʊldɪç].
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 19443, this pair ranks #1,908,268 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Unschuld vs unschuldig
Shared letters: cdhlnsu. Private to "Unschuld": -. Private to "unschuldig": gi.
"Unschuld" · 8 letters · shape VCCCCVCC · "unschuldig" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Unschuld ← nuschuld · uncshuld · unnschuld · unscchuld · unschhuld · unschlud · unschudl · unschuldd
- unschuldig ← nuschuldig · uncshuldig · unnschuldig · unscchuldig · unschhuldig · unschludig · unschudlig · unschulddig
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Unschuld" for "unschuldig" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Unschuld" or "unschuldig"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Unschuld" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "unschuldig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,908,268 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Unschuld" and "unschuldig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "unschuldig vs Unschuldiger". 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 #1,908,268 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.