schleichvsSchlickWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schleich is a verb, Schlick is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schleich” is a verb and “Schlick” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,253
“schleich” frequency rank
#46,964
“Schlick” frequency rank
79217
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schleich Schlick
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schleichen Ablagerung des Meerwassers und des Wassers der Flüsse, in die mit der Flutwelle Meerwasser eindringt; die Wattengebiete bestehen aus starken Schlickschichten.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schleich and Schlick apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
schleich
7 ch
Schlick

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schleich is [ʃlaɪ̯ç] while Schlick is [ʃlɪk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79217, 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]. Schlick is at rank #46,964, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃlɪk].

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 79217, this pair ranks #221,303 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schleich vs Schlick

Shared letters: chils. Private to "schleich": e. Private to "Schlick": k.

"schleich" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVVCC  ·  "Schlick" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schleichcshleich · scchleich · schelich · schhleich · schlecih · schleicch · schleichh · schleihc
  • Schlickcshlick · scchlick · schhlick · schilck · schlcik · schlicck · schlickk · schlikc

Frequency comparison

schleich#32,253
Schlick#46,964

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schleich" and "Schlick" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schleich" is a verb and "Schlick" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schleich" or "Schlick"?
"schleich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,253 in our German list, against #46,964 for "Schlick". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schleich vs Schlick

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schleich”; for a noun, it's “Schlick”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schleich” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list