schickevsSchurkeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#6,720
“schicke” frequency rank
#49,237
“Schurke” frequency rank
55957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schicke Schurke
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schick jemand, der moralisch verwerflich handelt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schicke and Schurke apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
schicke
7 ch
Schurke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schicke is [ˈʃɪkə] while Schurke is [ˈʃʊʁkə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 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 55957, 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]. Schurke is at rank #49,237, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃʊʁkə].

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 55957, this pair ranks #959,134 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schicke vs Schurke

Shared letters: cehks. Private to "schicke": i. Private to "Schurke": ru.

"schicke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV  ·  "Schurke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schickecshicke · scchicke · schcike · schhicke · schiccke · schicek · schickke · schikce
  • Schurkecshurke · scchurke · schhurke · schruke · schukre · schurek · schurkke · schurrke

Frequency comparison

schicke#6,720
Schurke#49,237

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schicke" and "Schurke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schicke" is an adjective and "Schurke" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schicke" or "Schurke"?
"schicke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,720 in our German list, against #49,237 for "Schurke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schicke vs Schurke

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 “Schurke”.
  • 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