Which to use
“Schlaf” and “Schläfe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,514
- “Schlaf” frequency rank
- #46,966
- “Schläfe” frequency rank
- 49480
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schlaf | Schläfe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zustand der Ruhe eines Lebewesens (meistens höhere Tiere und Menschen, selten auch Pflanzen) | der Bereich zwischen Ohr und Auge, auf dem man beim Schlafen liegt |
Where the eye mixes Schlaf and Schläfe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Schlaf runs 6 letters (CCCCVC) against Schläfe's 7 (CCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Schlaf vs Schläfe
A purely visual mix-up. Schlaf ([ʃlaːf]) and Schläfe ([ˈʃlɛːfə]) 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 49480, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schlaf is recorded at frequency rank #2,514, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃlaːf]. Schläfe is at rank #46,966, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɛːfə].
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 49480, this pair ranks #1,209,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Schlaf vs Schläfe
Shared letters: cfhls. Private to "Schlaf": a. Private to "Schläfe": eä.
"Schlaf" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC · "Schläfe" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Schlaf ← cshlaf · scchlaf · schalf · schhlaf · schlaff · schlfa · schllaf · sclhaf
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schlaf" and "Schläfe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Schlaf" or "Schläfe" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schlaf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schläfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,209,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schlaf" and "Schläfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schläfe vs Schläfer". 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 #1,209,942 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.