schimmertvsschlummertWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“schimmert” and “schlummert” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#44,196
“schimmert” frequency rank
#40,824
“schlummert” frequency rank
85020
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schimmert schlummert
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schimmern 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlummern

Where the eye mixes schimmert and schlummert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

9 ch
schimmert
10 ch
schlummert

Visual trap between schimmert and schlummert

A purely visual mix-up. schimmert ([ˈʃɪmɐt]) and schlummert ([ˈʃlʊmɐt]) 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 85020, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schimmert is recorded at frequency rank #44,196, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɪmɐt]. schlummert is at rank #40,824, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlʊmɐt].

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 85020, this pair ranks #114,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schimmert vs schlummert

Shared letters: cehmrst. Private to "schimmert": i. Private to "schlummert": lu.

"schimmert" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC  ·  "schlummert" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schimmertcshimmert · scchimmert · schhimmert · schimemrt · schimert · schimmerrt · schimmertt · schimmetr
  • schlummertcshlummert · scchlummert · schhlummert · schllummert · schlmumert · schlumemrt · schlumert · schlummerrt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schimmert" and "schlummert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃɪmɐt] versus [ˈʃlʊmɐt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "schimmert" or "schlummert" show up more?
"schlummert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,824 in our German list, against #44,196 for "schimmert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schimmert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schlummert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #114,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schimmert" and "schlummert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlemmer vs schlummert". 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 #114,697 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list