Which to use
“schlecht” is an adjective and “schleich” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #649
- “schlecht” frequency rank
- #32,253
- “schleich” frequency rank
- 32902
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlecht | schleich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht den Anforderungen oder Erwartungen entsprechend, weil mit Mängeln behaftet | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schleichen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schlecht and schleich apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
schlecht and schleich form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlecht is recorded at frequency rank #649, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃlɛçt]. schleich is at rank #32,253, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃlaɪ̯ç].
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 32902, this pair ranks #1,697,575 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlecht" and "schleich" be used interchangeably?
Remembering schlecht vs schleich
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “schlecht”; for a verb, it's “schleich”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schlecht” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable