SchlagvsschlägstTell them apart

Quick tell: Schlag is a noun, schlägst is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Schlag” is a noun and “schlägst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,071
“Schlag” frequency rank
#31,776
“schlägst” frequency rank
34847
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlag schlägst
Definition eine starke, impulsartige Krafteinwirkung, meist vermittelt durch einen Gegenstand 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlagen

Where the eye mixes Schlag and schlägst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Schlag runs 6 letters (CCCCVC) against schlägst's 8 (CCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Schlag
8 ch
schlägst

Why the eye confuses Schlag with schlägst

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schlag is [ʃlaːk] while schlägst is [ʃlɛːkst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 34847, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlag is recorded at frequency rank #3,071, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃlaːk]. schlägst is at rank #31,776, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃlɛːkst].

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 34847, this pair ranks #1,653,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schlag vs schlägst

Shared letters: cghls. Private to "Schlag": a. Private to "schlägst": tä.

"Schlag" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC  ·  "schlägst" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schlag ← cshlag · scchlag · schalg · schhlag · schlagg · schlga · schllag · sclhag

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Schlag" for "schlägst" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Schlag" is a noun and "schlägst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Schlag" vs "schlägst" - which ranks higher?
"Schlag" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,071 in our German list, against #31,776 for "schlägst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schlag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schlägst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,653,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schlag" and "schlägst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schläfst vs schlägst". 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 #1,653,941 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list