schlimmstenvsschlimmsterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#5,530
“schlimmsten” frequency rank
#49,225
“schlimmster” frequency rank
54755
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the eye mixes schlimmsten and schlimmster

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

11 ch
schlimmsten
11 ch
schlimmster

Look-alike desk: schlimmsten vs schlimmster

A purely visual mix-up. schlimmsten ([ˈʃlɪmstn̩]) 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 a single letter - n in “schlimmsten” becomes r in “schlimmster”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54755, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlimmsten is recorded at frequency rank #5,530, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlɪmstn̩]. 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 54755, this pair ranks #1,006,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schlimmsten vs schlimmster

Shared letters: cehilmst. Private to "schlimmsten": n. Private to "schlimmster": r.

"schlimmsten" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCVC  ·  "schlimmster" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlimmstencshlimmsten · scchlimmsten · schhlimmsten · schilmmsten · schlimmsetn · schlimmssten · schlimmstenn · schlimmstne
  • schlimmstercshlimmster · scchlimmster · schhlimmster · schilmmster · schlimmsetr · schlimmsster · schlimmsterr · schlimmstre

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "schlimmsten" for "schlimmster" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃlɪmstn̩] versus [ˈʃlɪmstɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schlimmsten" or "schlimmster"?
"schlimmsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,530 in our German list, against #49,225 for "schlimmster". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "schlimmsten" and "schlimmster" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schlimmsten" 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 #1,006,332 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schlimmsten" and "schlimmster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlimmeren vs schlimmsten". 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 #1,006,332 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