Which to use
“schlecht” is an adjective and “schwächt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #649
- “schlecht” frequency rank
- #25,758
- “schwächt” frequency rank
- 26407
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlecht | schwächt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht den Anforderungen oder Erwartungen entsprechend, weil mit Mängeln behaftet | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schwächen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schlecht and schwächt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlecht is [ʃlɛçt] while schwächt is [ʃvɛçt]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26407, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlecht is recorded at frequency rank #649, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃlɛçt]. schwächt is at rank #25,758, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃvɛçt].
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 26407, this pair ranks #1,818,597 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlecht vs schwächt
Shared letters: chst. Private to "schlecht": el. Private to "schwächt": wä.
"schlecht" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC · "schwächt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlecht ← cshlecht · scchlecht · schelcht · schhlecht · schlceht · schleccht · schlechht · schlechtt
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlecht" and "schwächt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schlecht" or "schwächt"?
Remembering schlecht vs schwächt
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 “schwächt”.
- 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