schlichtenvsSchlichtungWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#13,934
“schlichten” frequency rank
#48,452
“Schlichtung” frequency rank
62386
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlichten Schlichtung
Definition zwischen streitenden Parteien vermitteln, einen Streit entschärfen Versuch der Beilegung eines Streits zwischen zwei Parteien / Personen mit Hilfe einer dritten neutralen Person, also ohne Gerichte; es geht dabei um die Erzielung eines für beide Parteien hinnehmbaren Kompromisses; im Deutschen wird Schlichtung häufig bei tariflichen Auseinandersetzungen zwischen Arbeitgeberverbänden und Gewerkschaften gebraucht

Where the eye mixes schlichten and Schlichtung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schlichten runs 10 letters (CCCCVCCCVC) against Schlichtung's 11 (CCCCVCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
schlichten
11 ch
Schlichtung

Why the eye confuses schlichten with Schlichtung

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlichten is [ˈʃlɪçtn̩] while Schlichtung is [ˈʃlɪçtʊŋ]. 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 62386, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlichten is recorded at frequency rank #13,934, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlɪçtn̩]. Schlichtung is at rank #48,452, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɪçtʊŋ].

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 62386, this pair ranks #714,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schlichten vs Schlichtung

Shared letters: chilnst. Private to "schlichten": e. Private to "Schlichtung": gu.

"schlichten" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC  ·  "Schlichtung" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlichten ← cshlichten · scchlichten · schhlichten · schilchten · schlcihten · schlicchten · schlichetn · schlichhten
  • Schlichtung ← cshlichtung · scchlichtung · schhlichtung · schilchtung · schlcihtung · schlicchtung · schlichhtung · schlichtnug

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schlichten" and "Schlichtung" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "schlichten" is a verb and "Schlichtung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary German text, does "schlichten" or "Schlichtung" show up more?
"schlichten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,934 in our German list, against #48,452 for "Schlichtung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schlichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schlichtung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #714,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schlichten" and "Schlichtung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlachtung vs Schlichtung". 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 #714,818 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