schlafendvsSchlafendeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schlafend is a adjective, Schlafende is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schlafend” is an adjective and “Schlafende” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,995
“schlafend” frequency rank
#32,756
“Schlafende” frequency rank
71751
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlafend Schlafende
Definition sich im Schlaf befindend weibliche Person, die schläft

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schlafend and Schlafende apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
schlafend
10 ch
Schlafende

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlafend is [ˈʃlaːfn̩t] while Schlafende is [ˈʃlaːfn̩də]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “schlafend” sits inside “Schlafende”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71751, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlafend is recorded at frequency rank #38,995, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlaːfn̩t]. Schlafende is at rank #32,756, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlaːfn̩də].

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 71751, this pair ranks #407,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schlafend vs Schlafende

Shared letters: acdefhlns. Private to "schlafend": -. Private to "Schlafende": -.

"schlafend" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCVCC  ·  "Schlafende" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlafendcshlafend · scchlafend · schalfend · schhlafend · schlaefnd · schlafedn · schlafendd · schlafennd
  • Schlafendecshlafende · scchlafende · schalfende · schhlafende · schlaefnde · schlafedne · schlafendde · schlafened

Frequency comparison

schlafend#38,995
Schlafende#32,756

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schlafend" and "Schlafende" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schlafend" is an adjective and "Schlafende" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schlafend" or "Schlafende"?
"Schlafende" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,756 in our German list, against #38,995 for "schlafend". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schlafend vs Schlafende

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “schlafend”; for a noun, it's “Schlafende”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schlafend” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list