Which to use
“schleich” and “schleift” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,253
- “schleich” frequency rank
- #48,451
- “schleift” frequency rank
- 80704
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schleich | schleift |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schleichen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schleifen |
Where the eye mixes schleich and schleift
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schleich and schleift follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses schleich with schleift
A purely visual mix-up. schleich ([ʃlaɪ̯ç]) and schleift ([ʃlaɪ̯ft]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80704, 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]. schleift is at rank #48,451, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃlaɪ̯ft].
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 80704, this pair ranks #190,194 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of schleich vs schleift
Shared letters: cehils. Private to "schleich": -. Private to "schleift": ft.
"schleich" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVCC · "schleift" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schleich" and "schleift" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schleich" or "schleift" show up more?
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 "schleift" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #190,194 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schleich" and "schleift" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schleift vs Schweif". 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 #190,194 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.