Which to use
“schlechter” and “schlechtes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,411
- “schlechter” frequency rank
- #4,157
- “schlechtes” frequency rank
- 6568
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlechter | schlechtes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs schlecht | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schlecht |
Where the eye mixes schlechter and schlechtes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schlechter and schlechtes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: schlechter vs schlechtes
A purely visual mix-up. schlechter ([ˈʃlɛçtɐ]) and schlechtes ([ˈʃlɛçtəs]) 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 a single letter - r in “schlechter” becomes s in “schlechtes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6568, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlechter is recorded at frequency rank #2,411, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɛçtɐ]. schlechtes is at rank #4,157, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɛçtəs].
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 6568, this pair ranks #1,991,196 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlechter vs schlechtes
Shared letters: cehlst. Private to "schlechter": r. Private to "schlechtes": -.
"schlechter" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC · "schlechtes" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlechter ← cshlechter · scchlechter · schelchter · schhlechter · schlcehter · schlecchter · schlechetr · schlechhter
- schlechtes ← cshlechtes · scchlechtes · schelchtes · schhlechtes · schlcehtes · schlecchtes · schlechets · schlechhtes
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schlechter" and "schlechtes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "schlechter" or "schlechtes"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlechter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schlechtes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,991,196 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlechter" and "schlechtes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlechtes vs schlichtes". 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 #1,991,196 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.