Schadenfreude

[ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔɪ̯də]

/[ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔɪ̯də]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Schadenfreude” has 20 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #33,795. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,795
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Vergnügen über das Missgeschick oder Unglück eines anderen

Corpus desk

Index DE-schadenfreude · Schadenfreude · German

Schadenfreude · rank #33,795 · 20 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,795
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH Schauspielers

Nearest frequency peer: Schauspielers (+1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Schadenfreude“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Schadenfreude“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Schadenfreude
PropertyValue
HeadwordSchadenfreude
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔɪ̯də]
Letters13
Frequency rank#33,795
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Schadenfreude“

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).Schadenfreudeliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Schauspielers“ (#33,796), „Salons“ (#33,793), „Scheitel“ (#33,797). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „Schadenfreude“ bei #33,795. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around Schadenfreude (IPA [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔɪ̯də]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,795 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Vergnügen über das Missgeschick oder Unglück eines anderen".

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for Schadenfreude, with forms such as "cshadenfreude", "scahdenfreude", and "scchadenfreude". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Schadenfreude, spelled S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vergnügen über das Missgeschick oder Unglück eines anderen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Schadenfreude appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Er sah mit Schadenfreude die Niederlage seiner Gegner.
  2. „Die Sendung ist sehr beliebt, und manche sagen, sie sei es deshalb, weil hier die spezifische Richtung deutschen Humors eingeschlagen werde: Schadenfreude kommt auf; das Lachen gilt nicht nur den inszenierten Vorgängen, sondern es ist gleichzeitig ein Auslachen, boshaft von oben herab.“

Antonyms

Mitgefühl

This word in other languages

schadenfreude(English)regodeo(Español)joie maligne(Français)schadenfreude(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cshadenfreude
  • scahdenfreude
  • scchadenfreude
  • schaddenfreude
  • schadefnreude
  • schadenferude
  • schadenffreude
  • schadenfredue
  • schadenfreudde
  • schadenfreued
  • schadenfrreude
  • schadenfruede
  • schadennfreude
  • schadenrfeude
  • schadnefreude
  • schaednfreude
  • schdaenfreude
  • schhadenfreude
  • shcadenfreude
  • sschadenfreude

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Schadenfreude - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cshadenfreude2scahdenfreude2scchadenfreude1schaddenfreude1schadefnreude2schadenferude2schadenffreude1schadenfredue2
Edit distance from "Schadenfreude"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Schadenfreude"?
"Schadenfreude" is spelled S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔɪ̯də].
What does "Schadenfreude" mean?
As a noun, "Schadenfreude" means: Vergnügen über das Missgeschick oder Unglück eines anderen
What are common misspellings of "Schadenfreude"?
Common misspellings include "cshadenfreude", "scahdenfreude", "scchadenfreude", "schaddenfreude", "schadefnreude". The correct spelling is "Schadenfreude".
How do you pronounce "Schadenfreude"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Schadenfreude" is [ˈʃaːdn̩ˌfʁɔɪ̯də]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Schadenfreude" come from?
"Schadenfreude" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Schadenfreude", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Schauspielers#33,796Schuldgefühle#33,803Schwarzarbeit#33,806Republikanern#33,783

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

Polizeischutz20 variantsNatürlichkeit20 variantsunbeantwortet20 variantsVerkleinerung20 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list