SchlemmervsSchwimmerConfusable pair

Which to use

“Schlemmer” and “Schwimmer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#49,223
“Schlemmer” frequency rank
#13,690
“Schwimmer” frequency rank
62913
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlemmer Schwimmer
Definition jemand, der gern gut und viel isst schwimmender Mensch

Where the eye mixes Schlemmer and Schwimmer

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Schlemmer and Schwimmer follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
Schlemmer
9 ch
Schwimmer

Look-alike desk: Schlemmer vs Schwimmer

A purely visual mix-up. Schlemmer ([ˈʃlɛmɐ]) and Schwimmer ([ˈʃvɪmɐ]) 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 62913, 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]. Schwimmer is at rank #13,690, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃvɪmɐ].

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 62913, this pair ranks #695,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schlemmer vs Schwimmer

Shared letters: cehmrs. Private to "Schlemmer": l. Private to "Schwimmer": iw.

"Schlemmer" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC  ·  "Schwimmer" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schlemmer ← cshlemmer · scchlemmer · schelmmer · schhlemmer · schlememr · schlemer · schlemmerr · schlemmre
  • Schwimmer ← cshwimmer · scchwimmer · schhwimmer · schiwmmer · schwimemr · schwimer · schwimmerr · schwimmre

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Schlemmer" and "Schwimmer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃlɛmɐ] versus [ˈʃvɪmɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Schlemmer" or "Schwimmer" show up more?
"Schwimmer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,690 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 "Schwimmer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #695,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schlemmer" and "Schwimmer" 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 #695,620 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