What's the difference between a schema and a scheme?

For starters I have no idea what schema is

There's an "a" at the end of "schema", where "scheme" ends with an "e".

Day-to-day most people will not use the word “schema”. It’s very common in IT, though. A schema is a description of the format of data or a database; e.g., XML schema, database schema A scheme is often a plan of action or a secret plot

Depends on context. You've tried a dictionary first, yes?

“Schema” is mostly used to describe a physical diagram or plan of a system or network. Eg I come across it when I work with databases - the scheme explains how each table in the database relates to each other. “Scheme” is a mostly used to describe a programme or plan. Eg there could be a government run scheme to help people have better access to food.

I think the most common usage of the word schema is in IT, and in particular it refers to the design of a database - database developers and administrators talk about a database schema.  Someone has already given you a dictionary definition which meantions an outline or a model, but you can think of a database schema as a diagram which shows the different data tables, each containing a number of data fields, together with information about how software applications can access data contained therein. A scheme can be a plan, it might be something nefarious as suggested below, but it may also refer to something like a training scheme. For example - "When Bill left school he joined the engineering apprenticeship scheme at Rolls Royce".

A criminal plan might be referred to as a "scheme" but I've never heard of a crime referred to as a "schema".

Have you looked them both up in a dictionary?

I think of a schema as a blueprint, and a scheme as a plan(not of a building, more as a series of actions). However, no one really uses schema.

A schema is like a blueprint or model.  A scheme is a secret plan, usually one that is crooked, criminal, or underhanded. Scheme is a noun (the plan) and a verb (to create the plan).  "They were scheming"  "He schemed"

A schema is a system for organising information.

They are two totally different things. Have you looked in a dictionary yet? If you have, and are confused, please elaborate.

As I understand it: * A scheme or to scheme is to plan something. * A schema is a descriptive model (a framework of rules/laws) or detailed outline of an idea, plan of action, or the procedures it follows. * A schematic is a representation of a plan or outline and most commonly produced in the form of diagrams.

Schema is used more often when referring to specific parts of a job (for example: in programming and physiology) and if you asked a normal person what a schema was they wouldn't know what you were talking about Scheme is a plan and almost always a bad thing. "John was scheming" implies that John was planning to do something bad.

A schema is an organizational plan; a way of dividing things into categories. It’s also a very rare word in casual conversation. Mostly it’s used in a technical term in various fields such as information technology, psychology, and philosophy, A scheme is a plan, especially a plan to do something, and frequently a secret plan. It’s much more common and also has a broader definition. Most uses of the word schema, or at least non-technical uses, could be replaced by scheme. However, scheme also commonly refers to a criminal or manipulative plan, so it frequently has a negative connotation, and that’s its most common use.

Note: in the US, scheme usually (or at least often) has a negative connotation, while in British usage it's much more neutral.

A schema is a structure or a way of organizing things, most commonly used for databases. A scheme is a plot or plan. It has sinister or criminal connotations in American English, but less so in other dialects (UK often calls government programs "schemes", which as an American always throws me off).

"I have a cunning scheme, to make a lot of money" "He schemed his way into her heart, then broke it" As a native English speaker with a BA, I have never used the word "schema" in my life. It's some technical thing, that no one uses conversationally.

I only know "schema" as a software development term. Say you want to make a post on Reddit. When you hit that "post" button, it needs to know your user name, the title, the text, and so on. Your phone or PC formats all that data in a certain way that the Reddit server expects, and that agreed upon format is called the *schema*. "Scheme" is just a plan or idea of some sort. It is often used in context of something illegal or unethical. "I'm working on a scheme to steal a bunch of money".