Which to use
“schalt” is a verb and “schmal” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,692
- “schalt” frequency rank
- #12,375
- “schmal” frequency rank
- 36067
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schalt | schmal |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schalten | wenig breit, keine große Ausdehnung in der Breite aufweisend |
Where the eye mixes schalt and schmal
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: schalt vs schmal
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schalt is [ʃalt] while schmal is [ʃmaːl]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36067, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schalt is recorded at frequency rank #23,692, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃalt]. schmal is at rank #12,375, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃmaːl].
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 36067, this pair ranks #1,624,772 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schalt vs schmal
Shared letters: achls. Private to "schalt": t. Private to "schmal": m.
"schalt" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "schmal" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schalt" and "schmal" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "schalt" or "schmal"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schalt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schmal" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,624,772 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schalt" and "schmal" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schalt vs schütt". 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 #1,624,772 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.