Which to use
“Schelm” and “Schleim” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,753
- “Schelm” frequency rank
- #24,113
- “Schleim” frequency rank
- 56866
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schelm | Schleim |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mensch, der gerne scherzt und neckt | zähflüssige, klebrige Masse, gebildet von Drüsen bei Mensch, Tier und Pflanze |
Where the eye mixes Schelm and Schleim
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Schelm vs Schleim
A purely visual mix-up. Schelm ([ʃɛlm]) and Schleim ([ʃlaɪ̯m]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56866, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schelm is recorded at frequency rank #32,753, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃɛlm]. Schleim is at rank #24,113, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃlaɪ̯m].
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 56866, this pair ranks #923,658 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schelm vs Schleim
Shared letters: cehlms. Private to "Schelm": -. Private to "Schleim": i.
"Schelm" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "Schleim" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schelm" and "Schleim" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Schelm" vs "Schleim" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schelm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schleim" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #923,658 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schelm" and "Schleim" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schalk vs Schelm". 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 #923,658 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.