Which to use
“Schlaf” is a noun and “schläft” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,514
- “Schlaf” frequency rank
- #5,531
- “schläft” frequency rank
- 8045
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schlaf | schläft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zustand der Ruhe eines Lebewesens (meistens höhere Tiere und Menschen, selten auch Pflanzen) | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlafen |
Where the eye mixes Schlaf and schläft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Schlaf and schläft
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schlaf is [ʃlaːf] while schläft is [ʃlɛːft]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8045, 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]. schläft is at rank #5,531, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃlɛːft].
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 8045, this pair ranks #1,985,847 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schlaf vs schläft
Shared letters: cfhls. Private to "Schlaf": a. Private to "schläft": tä.
"Schlaf" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC · "schläft" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Schlaf ← cshlaf · scchlaf · schalf · schhlaf · schlaff · schlfa · schllaf · sclhaf
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schlaf" and "schläft" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Schlaf" or "schläft" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schlaf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schläft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,985,847 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schlaf" and "schläft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schläft vs schleift". 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 #1,985,847 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.