Which to use
“schlimme” and “schlimmste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,227
- “schlimme” frequency rank
- #4,735
- “schlimmste” frequency rank
- 11962
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlimme | schlimmste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schlimm | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs schlimm |
Where the eye mixes schlimme and schlimmste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schlimme with schlimmste
A purely visual mix-up. schlimme ([ˈʃlɪmə]) and schlimmste ([ˈʃlɪmstə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11962, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlimme is recorded at frequency rank #7,227, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmə]. schlimmste is at rank #4,735, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmstə].
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 11962, this pair ranks #1,966,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlimme vs schlimmste
Shared letters: cehilms. Private to "schlimme": -. Private to "schlimmste": t.
"schlimme" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV · "schlimmste" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlimme ← cshlimme · scchlimme · schhlimme · schilmme · schlime · schlimem · schllimme · schlmime
- schlimmste ← cshlimmste · scchlimmste · schhlimmste · schilmmste · schlimmset · schlimmsste · schlimmstte · schlimmtse
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlimme" and "schlimmste" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schlimme" or "schlimmste"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "schlimme" and "schlimmste" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimme" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimmste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlimme" and "schlimmste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlemmer vs schlimme". 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 #1,966,963 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.