SchlichtungvsschlichtwegWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Schlichtung is a noun, schlichtweg is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#48,452
“Schlichtung” frequency rank
#13,231
“schlichtweg” frequency rank
61683
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlichtung schlichtweg
Definition 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 ganz einfach

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schlichtung and schlichtweg apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
Schlichtung
11 ch
schlichtweg

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schlichtung is [ˈʃlɪçtʊŋ] while schlichtweg is [ˈʃlɪçtˌvɛk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61683, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlichtung is recorded at frequency rank #48,452, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlɪçtʊŋ]. 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 61683, this pair ranks #740,549 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schlichtung vs schlichtweg

Shared letters: cghilst. Private to "Schlichtung": nu. Private to "schlichtweg": ew.

"Schlichtung" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVCC  ·  "schlichtweg" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schlichtungcshlichtung · scchlichtung · schhlichtung · schilchtung · schlcihtung · schlicchtung · schlichhtung · schlichtnug
  • schlichtwegcshlichtweg · scchlichtweg · schhlichtweg · schilchtweg · schlcihtweg · schlicchtweg · schlichhtweg · schlichtewg

Frequency comparison

Schlichtung#48,452
schlichtweg#13,231

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schlichtung" and "schlichtweg" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Schlichtung" is a noun and "schlichtweg" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Schlichtung" or "schlichtweg"?
"schlichtweg" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,231 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.

Remembering Schlichtung vs schlichtweg

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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