Which to use
“schlimme” is an adjective and “schwimm” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,227
- “schlimme” frequency rank
- #27,482
- “schwimm” frequency rank
- 34709
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlimme | schwimm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schlimm | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schwimmen |
Where the eye mixes schlimme and schwimm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schlimme runs 8 letters (CCCCVCCV) against schwimm's 7 (CCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schlimme vs schwimm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schlimme is [ˈʃlɪmə] while schwimm is [ʃvɪm]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34709, 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]. 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 34709, this pair ranks #1,657,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlimme vs schwimm
Shared letters: chims. Private to "schlimme": el. Private to "schwimm": w.
"schlimme" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV · "schwimm" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schlimme" for "schwimm" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "schlimme" or "schwimm" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimme" 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 #1,657,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlimme" 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 #1,657,152 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.