Which to use
“schimpfen” and “schimpft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,381
- “schimpfen” frequency rank
- #20,048
- “schimpft” frequency rank
- 38429
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schimpfen | schimpft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (einer anderen Person) seinen Ärger kundtun | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schimpfen |
Where the eye mixes schimpfen and schimpft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schimpfen with schimpft
A purely visual mix-up. schimpfen ([ˈʃɪmp͡fn̩]) and schimpft ([ʃɪmp͡ft]) 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 38429, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schimpfen is recorded at frequency rank #18,381, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃɪmp͡fn̩]. schimpft is at rank #20,048, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃɪmp͡ft].
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 38429, this pair ranks #1,564,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schimpfen vs schimpft
Shared letters: cfhimps. Private to "schimpfen": en. Private to "schimpft": t.
"schimpfen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCCVC · "schimpft" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schimpfen" and "schimpft" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "schimpfen" or "schimpft" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schimpfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schimpft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,564,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schimpfen" and "schimpft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schimpf vs schimpft". 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 #1,564,222 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.