schlichtvsSchlichterWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: schlicht is a adjective, Schlichter is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“schlicht” is an adjective and “Schlichter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,462
“schlicht” frequency rank
#25,751
“Schlichter” frequency rank
30213
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlicht Schlichter
Definition einfach gehalten, nicht sehr aufwändig gestaltet eine neutrale Person, die versucht einen Streit zu beenden, indem sie zwischen den Parteien vermittelt

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schlicht and Schlichter apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
schlicht
10 ch
Schlichter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlicht is [ʃlɪçt] while Schlichter is [ˈʃlɪçtɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “schlicht” sits inside “Schlichter”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30213, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlicht is recorded at frequency rank #4,462, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃlɪçt]. Schlichter is at rank #25,751, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɪçtɐ].

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 30213, this pair ranks #1,752,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schlicht vs Schlichter

Shared letters: chilst. Private to "schlicht": -. Private to "Schlichter": er.

"schlicht" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC  ·  "Schlichter" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlichtcshlicht · scchlicht · schhlicht · schilcht · schlciht · schliccht · schlichht · schlichtt
  • Schlichtercshlichter · scchlichter · schhlichter · schilchter · schlcihter · schlicchter · schlichetr · schlichhter

Frequency comparison

schlicht#4,462
Schlichter#25,751

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schlicht" and "Schlichter" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schlicht" is an adjective and "Schlichter" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schlicht" or "Schlichter"?
"schlicht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,462 in our German list, against #25,751 for "Schlichter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering schlicht vs Schlichter

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “schlicht”; for a noun, it's “Schlichter”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schlicht” 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