SchlemmervsschlummertTell them apart

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

Which to use

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

#49,223
“Schlemmer” frequency rank
#40,824
“schlummert” frequency rank
90047
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlemmer schlummert
Definition jemand, der gern gut und viel isst 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlummern

Where the eye mixes Schlemmer and schlummert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Schlemmer runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against schlummert's 10 (CCCCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
Schlemmer
10 ch
schlummert

Why the eye confuses Schlemmer with schlummert

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schlemmer is [ˈʃlɛmɐ] while schlummert is [ˈʃlʊmɐt]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 90047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlemmer is recorded at frequency rank #49,223, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɛmɐ]. schlummert is at rank #40,824, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlʊmɐt].

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 90047, this pair ranks #50,982 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Schlemmer vs schlummert

Shared letters: cehlmrs. Private to "Schlemmer": -. Private to "schlummert": tu.

"Schlemmer" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC  ·  "schlummert" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schlemmer ← cshlemmer · scchlemmer · schelmmer · schhlemmer · schlememr · schlemer · schlemmerr · schlemmre
  • schlummert ← cshlummert · scchlummert · schhlummert · schllummert · schlmumert · schlumemrt · schlumert · schlummerrt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Schlemmer" for "schlummert" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Schlemmer" is a noun and "schlummert" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Schlemmer" vs "schlummert" - which ranks higher?
"schlummert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,824 in our German list, against #49,223 for "Schlemmer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schlemmer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schlummert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #50,982 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schlemmer" and "schlummert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlemmer vs Schleuser". 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 #50,982 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list