Which to use
“schlank” is an adjective and “Schlick” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,626
- “schlank” frequency rank
- #46,964
- “Schlick” frequency rank
- 56590
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlank | Schlick |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Form schmal, nicht breit | Ablagerung des Meerwassers und des Wassers der Flüsse, in die mit der Flutwelle Meerwasser eindringt; die Wattengebiete bestehen aus starken Schlickschichten. |
Where the eye mixes schlank and Schlick
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schlank and Schlick follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between schlank and Schlick
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlank is [ʃlaŋk] while Schlick is [ʃlɪk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlank is recorded at frequency rank #9,626, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃlaŋk]. Schlick is at rank #46,964, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃlɪk].
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 56590, this pair ranks #934,386 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schlank vs Schlick
Shared letters: chkls. Private to "schlank": an. Private to "Schlick": i.
"schlank" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC · "Schlick" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlank" and "Schlick" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schlank" or "Schlick"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlank" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schlick" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #934,386 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlank" and "Schlick" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlick vs schlucke". 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 #934,386 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.