Which to use
“schlimmen” and “schlimmeren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,009
- “schlimmen” frequency rank
- #48,454
- “schlimmeren” frequency rank
- 61463
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlimmen | schlimmeren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs schlimm | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Komparativs des Adjektivs schlimm |
Where the eye mixes schlimmen and schlimmeren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schlimmen runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against schlimmeren's 11 (CCCCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schlimmen with schlimmeren
A purely visual mix-up. schlimmen ([ˈʃlɪmən]) and schlimmeren ([ˈʃlɪməʁən]) 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 61463, 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]. schlimmeren is at rank #48,454, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪməʁən].
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 61463, this pair ranks #748,813 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schlimmen vs schlimmeren
Shared letters: cehilmns. Private to "schlimmen": -. Private to "schlimmeren": r.
"schlimmen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schlimmeren" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlimmen ← cshlimmen · scchlimmen · schhlimmen · schilmmen · schlimemn · schlimen · schlimmenn · schlimmne
- schlimmeren ← cshlimmeren · scchlimmeren · schhlimmeren · schilmmeren · schlimemren · schlimeren · schlimmeern · schlimmerenn
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schlimmen" and "schlimmeren" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "schlimmen" or "schlimmeren" show up more?
After this comparison
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 "schlimmeren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #748,813 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlimmen" and "schlimmeren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlieren vs schlimmeren". 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 #748,813 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.