schön

[ʃøːn]

/[ʃøːn]/ adj

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

The verdict

“schön” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #282 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#282
frequency rank, German
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ästhetisch, eine angenehme Wirkung auf die Sinne habend: zum Beispiel ein gutes Aussehen habend, sich gut anhörend

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

schön vs son
40% similar
schön vs Sohn
40% similar
schön vs Show
20% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for schön
PropertyValue
Headwordschön
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ʃøːn]
Letters5
Frequency rank#282
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “schön” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). schön lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for schön is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʃøːn]. Corpus data places it at rank #282 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for schön, with forms such as "cshön", "scchön", and "schhön". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "son", "Sohn", "Show", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is schön, spelled S-C-H-Ö-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    ästhetisch, eine angenehme Wirkung auf die Sinne habend: zum Beispiel ein gutes Aussehen habend, sich gut anhörend
  2. 2
    angenehm, gut, anständig
  3. 3
    verstärkend im Sinne von beträchtlich
  4. 4
    zustimmende Antwort auf eine Frage
  5. 5
    so, wie es sich gehört
  6. 6
    in festen Wendungen mit verschwommener Bedeutung [1, 2]

Synonyms

ansprechendanziehendästhetischattraktivhübschdekorativangenehmgutbesondersbeträchtlichsehrüberauseinverstandenokayordnungsgemäß

Antonyms

hässlichunschönschlechtunangenehmnichtneinschirch

This word in other languages

beautiful(English)bello(Español)beau(Français)belo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cshön,scchön,schhön,schnö,schönn,scöhn,shcön,sschön

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of schön - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cshön2scchön1schhön1schnö2schönn1scöhn2shcön2sschön1
Edit distance from "schön"

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 "schön"?
"schön" is spelled S-C-H-Ö-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃøːn].
What does "schön" mean?
As an adjective, "schön" means: ästhetisch, eine angenehme Wirkung auf die Sinne habend: zum Beispiel ein gutes Aussehen habend, sich gut anhörend
What words are commonly confused with "schön"?
"schön" is commonly confused with "son", "Sohn", "Show". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "schön"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schön" is [ʃøːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schön" come from?
"schön" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “schön”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is S-C-H-Ö-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʃøːn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “son” - see the side-by-side comparison. schön vs son
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list