schlucktvsschmücktTell them apart

Which to use

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

#23,697
“schluckt” frequency rank
#31,260
“schmückt” frequency rank
54957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the eye mixes schluckt and schmückt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. schluckt and schmückt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
schluckt
8 ch
schmückt

Visual trap between schluckt and schmückt

A purely visual mix-up. schluckt ([ʃlʊkt]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schluckt is recorded at frequency rank #23,697, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃlʊkt]. 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 54957, this pair ranks #998,292 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schluckt vs schmückt

Shared letters: chkst. Private to "schluckt": lu. Private to "schmückt": mü.

"schluckt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC  ·  "schmückt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schluckt ← cshluckt · scchluckt · schhluckt · schlcukt · schlluckt · schlucckt · schluckkt · schlucktt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "schluckt" for "schmückt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃlʊkt] versus [ʃmʏkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schluckt" vs "schmückt" - which ranks higher?
"schluckt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,697 in our German list, against #31,260 for "schmückt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "schluckt" 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 #998,292 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schluckt" and "schmückt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlucke vs schmückt". 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 #998,292 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