schluckevsschmücktWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#49,227
“schlucke” frequency rank
#31,260
“schmückt” frequency rank
80487
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlucke schmückt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlucken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schmücken

Where the eye mixes schlucke and schmückt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. schlucke (CCCCVCCV) and schmückt (CCCCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
schlucke
8 ch
schmückt

Why the eye confuses schlucke with schmückt

A purely visual mix-up. schlucke ([ˈʃlʊkə]) and schmückt ([ʃmʏkt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80487, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlucke is recorded at frequency rank #49,227, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlʊkə]. schmückt is at rank #31,260, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃmʏkt].

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 80487, this pair ranks #194,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of schlucke vs schmückt

Shared letters: chks. Private to "schlucke": elu. Private to "schmückt": mtü.

"schlucke" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV  ·  "schmückt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schluckecshlucke · scchlucke · schhlucke · schlcuke · schllucke · schluccke · schlucek · schluckke

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schlucke" and "schmückt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃlʊkə] versus [ʃmʏkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schlucke" vs "schmückt" - which ranks higher?
"schmückt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,260 in our German list, against #49,227 for "schlucke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "schlucke" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schmückt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #194,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schlucke" and "schmückt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlucke vs Schurke". 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 #194,581 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