SchlümpfevsschlüpfenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Schlümpfe is a noun, schlüpfen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Schlümpfe” is a noun and “schlüpfen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,791
“Schlümpfe” frequency rank
#17,400
“schlüpfen” frequency rank
60191
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlümpfe schlüpfen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Schlumpf sich schnell (durch eine enge Öffnung gleitend) an einen bestimmten Ort begeben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schlümpfe and schlüpfen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Schlümpfe
9 ch
schlüpfen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schlümpfe is [ˈʃlʏmp͡fə] while schlüpfen is [ˈʃlʏp͡fn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlümpfe is recorded at frequency rank #42,791, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlʏmp͡fə]. schlüpfen is at rank #17,400, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlʏp͡fn̩].

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 60191, this pair ranks #796,184 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Schlümpfe vs schlüpfen

Shared letters: cefhlpsü. Private to "Schlümpfe": m. Private to "schlüpfen": n.

"Schlümpfe" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCCV  ·  "schlüpfen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Schlümpfe#42,791
schlüpfen#17,400

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schlümpfe" and "schlüpfen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Schlümpfe" is a noun and "schlüpfen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Schlümpfe" or "schlüpfen"?
"schlüpfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,400 in our German list, against #42,791 for "Schlümpfe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Schlümpfe vs schlüpfen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Schlümpfe”; for a verb, it's “schlüpfen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Schlümpfe” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list