Which to use
“schlau” and “schräg” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,301
- “schlau” frequency rank
- #8,939
- “schräg” frequency rank
- 14240
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlau | schräg |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | um Wege wissend, seine Ziele (dennoch) zu erreichen | von einer (gedachten) geraden, horizontalen oder vertikalen Linie abweichend (und einen spitzen, stumpfen aber niemals rechten Winkel bildend) |
Where the eye mixes schlau and schräg
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. schlau ([ʃlaʊ̯]) and schräg ([ʃʁɛːk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14240, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlau is recorded at frequency rank #5,301, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃlaʊ̯]. schräg is at rank #8,939, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃʁɛːk].
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 14240, this pair ranks #1,952,601 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlau vs schräg
Shared letters: chs. Private to "schlau": alu. Private to "schräg": grä.
"schlau" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVV · "schräg" · 6 letters · shape CCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlau ← cshlau · scchlau · schalu · schhlau · schllau · schlua · sclhau · shclau
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlau" and "schräg" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schlau" or "schräg"?
What to do next
You've compared "schlau" and "schräg". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schräg" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,952,601 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlau" and "schräg" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schräg vs Schwaz". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.