schlichtvsSchlickWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,462
“schlicht” frequency rank
#46,964
“Schlick” frequency rank
51426
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlicht Schlick
Definition einfach gehalten, nicht sehr aufwändig gestaltet 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 schlicht and Schlick apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
schlicht
7 ch
Schlick

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlicht is [ʃlɪçt] 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51426, 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]. 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 51426, this pair ranks #1,136,000 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schlicht vs Schlick

Shared letters: chils. Private to "schlicht": t. Private to "Schlick": k.

"schlicht" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC  ·  "Schlick" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlichtcshlicht · scchlicht · schhlicht · schilcht · schlciht · schliccht · schlichht · schlichtt
  • Schlickcshlick · scchlick · schhlick · schilck · schlcik · schlicck · schlickk · schlikc

Frequency comparison

schlicht#4,462
Schlick#46,964

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schlicht" and "Schlick" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schlicht" is an adjective and "Schlick" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "schlicht" or "Schlick"?
"schlicht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,462 in our German list, against #46,964 for "Schlick". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering schlicht vs Schlick

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 “Schlick”.
  • 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