Which to use
“schlimm” is an adjective and “schwimm” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,432
- “schlimm” frequency rank
- #27,482
- “schwimm” frequency rank
- 28914
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlimm | schwimm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sehr negativ; nicht gut | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schwimmen |
Where the eye mixes schlimm and schwimm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schlimm and schwimm follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses schlimm with schwimm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlimm is [ʃlɪm] while schwimm is [ʃvɪm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “schlimm” becomes w in “schwimm”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28914, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlimm is recorded at frequency rank #1,432, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃlɪm]. schwimm is at rank #27,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃvɪm].
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 28914, this pair ranks #1,776,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlimm vs schwimm
Shared letters: chims. Private to "schlimm": l. Private to "schwimm": w.
"schlimm" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC · "schwimm" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlimm" and "schwimm" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schlimm" vs "schwimm" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwimm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,776,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlimm" and "schwimm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schwelm vs schwimm". 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 #1,776,315 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.