Which to use
“schläft” and “schlägt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,531
- “schläft” frequency rank
- #2,176
- “schlägt” frequency rank
- 7707
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schläft | schlägt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlafen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlagen |
Where the eye mixes schläft and schlägt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: schläft vs schlägt
A purely visual mix-up. schläft ([ʃlɛːft]) and schlägt ([ʃlɛːkt]) 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 a single letter - f in “schläft” becomes g in “schlägt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7707, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schläft is recorded at frequency rank #5,531, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃlɛːft]. schlägt is at rank #2,176, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃlɛːkt].
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 7707, this pair ranks #1,987,211 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schläft vs schlägt
Shared letters: chlstä. Private to "schläft": f. Private to "schlägt": g.
"schläft" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC · "schlägt" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schläft" and "schlägt" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schläft" or "schlägt" 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 "schläft" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schlägt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,987,211 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schläft" and "schlägt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schläft vs schleift". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,987,211 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.