Which to use
“schlimmer” and “schlimmere” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,820
- “schlimmer” frequency rank
- #22,875
- “schlimmere” frequency rank
- 24695
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlimmer | schlimmere |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs schlimm | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Komparativs des Adjektivs schlimm |
Where the eye mixes schlimmer and schlimmere
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schlimmer runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against schlimmere's 10 (CCCCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses schlimmer with schlimmere
A purely visual mix-up. schlimmer ([ˈʃlɪmɐ]) and schlimmere ([ˈʃlɪməʁə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “schlimmer” sits inside “schlimmere”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24695, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schlimmer is recorded at frequency rank #1,820, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmɐ]. schlimmere is at rank #22,875, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪməʁə].
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 24695, this pair ranks #1,844,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schlimmer vs schlimmere
Shared letters: cehilmrs. Private to "schlimmer": -. Private to "schlimmere": -.
"schlimmer" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schlimmere" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlimmer ← cshlimmer · scchlimmer · schhlimmer · schilmmer · schlimemr · schlimer · schlimmerr · schlimmre
- schlimmere ← cshlimmere · scchlimmere · schhlimmere · schilmmere · schlimemre · schlimere · schlimmeer · schlimmerre
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlimmer" and "schlimmere" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schlimmer" vs "schlimmere" - which ranks higher?
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 "schlimmer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimmere" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,844,028 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlimmer" and "schlimmere" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlemmer vs schlimmere". 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 #1,844,028 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.