Which to use
“schlimmen” and “schlimmer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,009
- “schlimmen” frequency rank
- #1,820
- “schlimmer” frequency rank
- 14829
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlimmen | schlimmer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs schlimm | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs schlimm |
Where the eye mixes schlimmen and schlimmer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. schlimmen and schlimmer follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: schlimmen vs schlimmer
A purely visual mix-up. schlimmen ([ˈʃlɪmən]) and schlimmer ([ˈʃlɪmɐ]) 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 a single letter - n in “schlimmen” becomes r in “schlimmer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14829, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlimmen is recorded at frequency rank #13,009, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmən]. schlimmer is at rank #1,820, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmɐ].
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 14829, this pair ranks #1,948,411 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlimmen vs schlimmer
Shared letters: cehilms. Private to "schlimmen": n. Private to "schlimmer": r.
"schlimmen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schlimmer" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlimmen" and "schlimmer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schlimmen" vs "schlimmer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimmen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimmer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,948,411 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlimmen" and "schlimmer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlemmer vs schlimmen". 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 #1,948,411 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.