schlechtenvsSchlichterWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schlechten is a adjective, Schlichter is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schlechten” is an adjective and “Schlichter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,785
“schlechten” frequency rank
#25,751
“Schlichter” frequency rank
28536
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlechten Schlichter
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs schlecht eine neutrale Person, die versucht einen Streit zu beenden, indem sie zwischen den Parteien vermittelt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schlechten and Schlichter apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
schlechten
10 ch
Schlichter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlechten is [ˈʃlɛçtn̩] while Schlichter is [ˈʃlɪçtɐ]. 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 28536, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlechten is recorded at frequency rank #2,785, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɛçtn̩]. Schlichter is at rank #25,751, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɪçtɐ].

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 28536, this pair ranks #1,782,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schlechten vs Schlichter

Shared letters: cehlst. Private to "schlechten": n. Private to "Schlichter": ir.

"schlechten" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC  ·  "Schlichter" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlechtencshlechten · scchlechten · schelchten · schhlechten · schlcehten · schlecchten · schlechetn · schlechhten
  • Schlichtercshlichter · scchlichter · schhlichter · schilchter · schlcihter · schlicchter · schlichetr · schlichhter

Frequency comparison

schlechten#2,785
Schlichter#25,751

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schlechten" and "Schlichter" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schlechten" is an adjective and "Schlichter" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schlechten" or "Schlichter"?
"schlechten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,785 in our German list, against #25,751 for "Schlichter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schlechten vs Schlichter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “schlechten”; for a noun, it's “Schlichter”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schlechten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list