Which to use
“schlimmer” and “schlimmster” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,820
- “schlimmer” frequency rank
- #49,225
- “schlimmster” frequency rank
- 51045
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schlimmer | schlimmster |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs schlimm | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs schlimm |
Where the eye mixes schlimmer and schlimmster
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. schlimmer runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against schlimmster's 11 (CCCCVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between schlimmer and schlimmster
A purely visual mix-up. schlimmer ([ˈʃlɪmɐ]) and schlimmster ([ˈʃlɪmstɐ]) 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 51045, 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]. schlimmster is at rank #49,225, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmstɐ].
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 51045, this pair ranks #1,150,607 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schlimmer vs schlimmster
Shared letters: cehilmrs. Private to "schlimmer": -. Private to "schlimmster": t.
"schlimmer" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schlimmster" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schlimmer ← cshlimmer · scchlimmer · schhlimmer · schilmmer · schlimemr · schlimer · schlimmerr · schlimmre
- schlimmster ← cshlimmster · scchlimmster · schhlimmster · schilmmster · schlimmsetr · schlimmsster · schlimmsterr · schlimmstre
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schlimmer" and "schlimmster" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "schlimmer" or "schlimmster" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schlimmer" and "schlimmster" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimmer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schlimmster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,150,607 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schlimmer" and "schlimmster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlimmsten vs schlimmster". 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 #1,150,607 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.