SchlauchvsSchmachConfusable pair

Which to use

“Schlauch” and “Schmach” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,163
“Schlauch” frequency rank
#32,758
“Schmach” frequency rank
44921
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlauch Schmach
Definition flexible Leitung zur Förderung fester, flüssiger und gasförmiger Stoffe erhebliche Beeinträchtigung des Ansehens, durch andere beigebracht

Where the eye mixes Schlauch and Schmach

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Schlauch runs 8 letters (CCCCVVCC) against Schmach's 7 (CCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
Schlauch
7 ch
Schmach

Look-alike desk: Schlauch vs Schmach

A purely visual mix-up. Schlauch ([ʃlaʊ̯x]) and Schmach ([ʃmaːx]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44921, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlauch is recorded at frequency rank #12,163, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃlaʊ̯x]. Schmach is at rank #32,758, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃmaːx].

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 44921, this pair ranks #1,370,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schlauch vs Schmach

Shared letters: achs. Private to "Schlauch": lu. Private to "Schmach": m.

"Schlauch" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVCC  ·  "Schmach" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schlauch ← cshlauch · scchlauch · schaluch · schhlauch · schlacuh · schlaucch · schlauchh · schlauhc
  • Schmach ← cshmach · scchmach · schamch · schhmach · schmacch · schmachh · schmahc · schmcah

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schlauch" and "Schmach" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃlaʊ̯x] versus [ʃmaːx]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Schlauch" or "Schmach" show up more?
"Schlauch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,163 in our German list, against #32,758 for "Schmach". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Schlauch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schmach" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,370,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schlauch" and "Schmach" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schah vs Schmach". 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 #1,370,326 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