schickevsSchlickWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schicke is a adjective, Schlick is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schicke” is an adjective and “Schlick” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,720
“schicke” frequency rank
#46,964
“Schlick” frequency rank
53684
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schicke Schlick
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schick Ablagerung des Meerwassers und des Wassers der Flüsse, in die mit der Flutwelle Meerwasser eindringt; die Wattengebiete bestehen aus starken Schlickschichten.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schicke and Schlick apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
schicke
7 ch
Schlick

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schicke is [ˈʃɪkə] while Schlick is [ʃlɪk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53684, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schicke is recorded at frequency rank #6,720, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃɪkə]. Schlick is at rank #46,964, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃlɪk].

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 53684, this pair ranks #1,048,433 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schicke vs Schlick

Shared letters: chiks. Private to "schicke": e. Private to "Schlick": l.

"schicke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV  ·  "Schlick" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schickecshicke · scchicke · schcike · schhicke · schiccke · schicek · schickke · schikce
  • Schlickcshlick · scchlick · schhlick · schilck · schlcik · schlicck · schlickk · schlikc

Frequency comparison

schicke#6,720
Schlick#46,964

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schicke" and "Schlick" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schicke" is an adjective and "Schlick" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schicke" or "Schlick"?
"schicke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,720 in our German list, against #46,964 for "Schlick". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schicke vs Schlick

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “schicke”; for a noun, it's “Schlick”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schicke” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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