schlucktvsschrecktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,697
“schluckt” frequency rank
#23,304
“schreckt” frequency rank
47001
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schluckt schreckt
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlucken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schrecken

Where the eye mixes schluckt and schreckt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

8 ch
schluckt
8 ch
schreckt

Visual trap between schluckt and schreckt

A purely visual mix-up. schluckt ([ʃlʊkt]) and schreckt ([ʃʁɛkt]) 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 47001, 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]. schreckt is at rank #23,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʁɛkt].

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 47001, this pair ranks #1,299,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schluckt vs schreckt

Shared letters: chkst. Private to "schluckt": lu. Private to "schreckt": er.

"schluckt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC  ·  "schreckt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schlucktcshluckt · scchluckt · schhluckt · schlcukt · schlluckt · schlucckt · schluckkt · schlucktt
  • schrecktcshreckt · scchreckt · scherckt · schhreckt · schrcekt · schrecckt · schreckkt · schrecktt

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "schluckt" for "schreckt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃlʊkt] versus [ʃʁɛkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schluckt" vs "schreckt" - which ranks higher?
"schreckt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,304 in our German list, against #23,697 for "schluckt". 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 "schluckt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schreckt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,299,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schluckt" and "schreckt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlucke vs schluckt". 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 #1,299,664 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