Which to use
“schlichten” is a verb and “schlichtweg” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,934
- “schlichten” frequency rank
- #13,231
- “schlichtweg” frequency rank
- 27165
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlichten | schlichtweg |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zwischen streitenden Parteien vermitteln, einen Streit entschärfen | ganz einfach |
Where the eye mixes schlichten and schlichtweg
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schlichten runs 10 letters (CCCCVCCCVC) against schlichtweg's 11 (CCCCVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schlichten with schlichtweg
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlichten is [ˈʃlɪçtn̩] while schlichtweg is [ˈʃlɪçtˌvɛk]. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27165, 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]. schlichtweg is at rank #13,231, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈʃlɪçtˌvɛk].
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 27165, this pair ranks #1,806,250 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlichten vs schlichtweg
Shared letters: cehilst. Private to "schlichten": n. Private to "schlichtweg": gw.
"schlichten" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC · "schlichtweg" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlichten ← cshlichten · scchlichten · schhlichten · schilchten · schlcihten · schlicchten · schlichetn · schlichhten
- schlichtweg ← cshlichtweg · scchlichtweg · schhlichtweg · schilchtweg · schlcihtweg · schlicchtweg · schlichhtweg · schlichtewg
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlichten" and "schlichtweg" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schlichten" vs "schlichtweg" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schlichten" and "schlichtweg" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schlichtweg" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,806,250 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlichten" and "schlichtweg" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlichten 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 #1,806,250 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.