schlüpfenvsschlüpftWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,400
“schlüpfen” frequency rank
#33,801
“schlüpft” frequency rank
51201
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schlüpfen schlüpft
Definition sich schnell (durch eine enge Öffnung gleitend) an einen bestimmten Ort begeben 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schlüpfen

Where the eye mixes schlüpfen and schlüpft

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schlüpfen runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against schlüpft's 8 (CCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
schlüpfen
8 ch
schlüpft

Why the eye confuses schlüpfen with schlüpft

A purely visual mix-up. schlüpfen ([ˈʃlʏp͡fn̩]) and schlüpft ([ʃlʏp͡ft]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51201, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schlüpfen is recorded at frequency rank #17,400, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃlʏp͡fn̩]. schlüpft is at rank #33,801, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃlʏp͡ft].

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 51201, this pair ranks #1,144,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schlüpfen vs schlüpft

Shared letters: cfhlpsü. Private to "schlüpfen": en. Private to "schlüpft": t.

"schlüpfen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC  ·  "schlüpft" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "schlüpfen" for "schlüpft" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃlʏp͡fn̩] versus [ʃlʏp͡ft]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "schlüpfen" or "schlüpft" show up more?
"schlüpfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,400 in our German list, against #33,801 for "schlüpft". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schlüpfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schlüpft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,144,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schlüpfen" and "schlüpft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schleift vs schlüpft". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,144,587 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