Which to use
“schicken” and “schmecken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,709
- “schicken” frequency rank
- #5,114
- “schmecken” frequency rank
- 6823
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schicken | schmecken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder jemanden von einem Ort zu einem anderen senden | den Geschmackssinn anwenden, etwas mit dem Geschmackssinn prüfen, wahrnehmen |
Where the eye mixes schicken and schmecken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schicken with schmecken
A purely visual mix-up. schicken ([ˈʃɪkn̩]) and schmecken ([ˈʃmɛkn̩]) 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 6823, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schicken is recorded at frequency rank #1,709, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɪkn̩]. schmecken is at rank #5,114, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmɛkn̩].
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 6823, this pair ranks #1,990,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schicken vs schmecken
Shared letters: cehkns. Private to "schicken": i. Private to "schmecken": m.
"schicken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC · "schmecken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schicken" and "schmecken" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "schicken" or "schmecken"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schicken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schmecken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,990,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schicken" and "schmecken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmecken vs schocken". 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 #1,990,347 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.