Which to use
“schleich” and “schleicht” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,253
- “schleich” frequency rank
- #23,695
- “schleicht” frequency rank
- 55948
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schleich | schleicht |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schleichen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs schleichen |
Where the eye mixes schleich and schleicht
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schleich runs 8 letters (CCCCVVCC) against schleicht's 9 (CCCCVVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schleich with schleicht
A purely visual mix-up. schleich ([ʃlaɪ̯ç]) and schleicht ([ʃlaɪ̯çt]) 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 extra letter(s) - “schleich” sits inside “schleicht”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55948, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schleich is recorded at frequency rank #32,253, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃlaɪ̯ç]. schleicht is at rank #23,695, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃlaɪ̯çt].
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 55948, this pair ranks #959,467 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schleich vs schleicht
Shared letters: cehils. Private to "schleich": -. Private to "schleicht": t.
"schleich" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVCC · "schleicht" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schleich" and "schleicht" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schleich" or "schleicht"?
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 "schleich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schleicht" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #959,467 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schleich" and "schleicht" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schleich vs schleift". 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 #959,467 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.