Schaefer

name

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

"schaefer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Schaefer” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,750. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,750
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation], equivalent to English Shepherd.

Corpus desk

Index EN-schaefer · Schaefer · English

Schaefer · rank #31,750 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,750
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Scalia

Nearest frequency peer: Scalia (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Schaefer”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Schaefer” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Schaefer vs Scheer
75% similar
Schaefer vs Shaffer
75% similar
Schaefer vs Schafer
88% similar

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

Key facts for Schaefer
PropertyValue
HeadwordSchaefer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters8
Frequency rank#31,750
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Schaefer”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Schaeferlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Scalia” (#31,749), “schoolchildren” (#31,751), “scalar” (#31,748). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Schaefer” is #31,750. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Schaefer, aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #31,750 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation], equivalent to English Shepherd.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Schaefer, with forms such as "cshaefer", "scahefer", and "scchaefer". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Scheer", "Shaffer", "Schafer", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From German Schaefer (“shepherd”), an occupational surname; from Middle High German schæfære, from late Old High German scāphare. The correct English form is Schaefer, spelled S-C-H-A-E-F-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation], equivalent to English Shepherd.

Etymology

From German Schaefer (“shepherd”), an occupational surname; from Middle High German schæfære, from late Old High German scāphare.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cshaefer
  • scahefer
  • scchaefer
  • schaeefr
  • schaeferr
  • schaeffer
  • schaefre
  • schafeer
  • scheafer
  • schhaefer
  • shcaefer
  • sschaefer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Schaefer - 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.

cshaefer2scahefer2scchaefer1schaeefr2schaeferr1schaeffer1schaefre2schafeer2
Edit distance from "Schaefer"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Schaefer"?
"Schaefer" is spelled S-C-H-A-E-F-E-R.
What does "Schaefer" mean?
As a proper noun, "Schaefer" means: A surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation], equivalent to English Shepherd.
What words are commonly confused with "Schaefer"?
"Schaefer" is commonly confused with "Scheer", "Shaffer", "Schafer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "Schaefer"?
From German Schaefer (“shepherd”), an occupational surname; from Middle High German schæfære, from late Old High German scāphare. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scalable#31,747Sardinia#31,746sardines#31,745sensibly#31,757

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Schwarz12 variantsRosalind12 variantssmartly12 variantsunoccupied12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list