schlimmstevsschlimmstenTell them apart

Which to use

“schlimmste” and “schlimmsten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,735
“schlimmste” frequency rank
#5,530
“schlimmsten” frequency rank
10265
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlimmste schlimmsten
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs schlimm Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs schlimm

Where the eye mixes schlimmste and schlimmsten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.

10 ch
schlimmste
11 ch
schlimmsten

Look-alike desk: schlimmste vs schlimmsten

A purely visual mix-up. schlimmste ([ˈʃlɪmstə]) and schlimmsten ([ˈʃlɪmstn̩]) 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) - “schlimmste” sits inside “schlimmsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlimmste is recorded at frequency rank #4,735, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmstə]. schlimmsten is at rank #5,530, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmstn̩].

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 10265, this pair ranks #1,975,973 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schlimmste vs schlimmsten

Shared letters: cehilmst. Private to "schlimmste": -. Private to "schlimmsten": n.

"schlimmste" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCV  ·  "schlimmsten" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlimmstecshlimmste · scchlimmste · schhlimmste · schilmmste · schlimmset · schlimmsste · schlimmstte · schlimmtse
  • schlimmstencshlimmsten · scchlimmsten · schhlimmsten · schilmmsten · schlimmsetn · schlimmssten · schlimmstenn · schlimmstne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schlimmste" and "schlimmsten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃlɪmstə] versus [ˈʃlɪmstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "schlimmste" or "schlimmsten" show up more?
"schlimmste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,735 in our German list, against #5,530 for "schlimmsten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "schlimmste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schlimmsten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,975,973 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schlimmste" and "schlimmsten" 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 #1,975,973 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list