schlägtvsschlappWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schlägt is a verb, schlapp is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schlägt” is a verb and “schlapp” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,176
“schlägt” frequency rank
#24,112
“schlapp” frequency rank
26288
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlägt schlapp
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlagen keine Energie habend, erschöpft

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schlägt and schlapp apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
schlägt
7 ch
schlapp

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlägt is [ʃlɛːkt] while schlapp is [ʃlap]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26288, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlägt is recorded at frequency rank #2,176, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃlɛːkt]. schlapp is at rank #24,112, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃlap].

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 26288, this pair ranks #1,820,391 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schlägt vs schlapp

Shared letters: chls. Private to "schlägt": gtä. Private to "schlapp": ap.

"schlägt" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC  ·  "schlapp" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlappcshlapp · scchlapp · schalpp · schhlapp · schlap · schllapp · schlpap · sclhapp

Frequency comparison

schlägt#2,176
schlapp#24,112

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schlägt" and "schlapp" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schlägt" is a verb and "schlapp" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schlägt" or "schlapp"?
"schlägt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,176 in our German list, against #24,112 for "schlapp". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering schlägt vs schlapp

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schlägt”; for an adjective, it's “schlapp”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schlägt” 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