SchlüssevsschlüssigWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Schlüsse is a noun, schlüssig is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Schlüsse” is a noun and “schlüssig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,686
“Schlüsse” frequency rank
#25,752
“schlüssig” frequency rank
39438
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schlüsse schlüssig
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Schluss logisch und überzeugend, folgerichtig (eine Argumentation, ein Beweis)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Schlüsse and schlüssig apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Schlüsse
9 ch
schlüssig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schlüsse is [ˈʃlʏsə] while schlüssig is [ˈʃlʏsɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schlüsse is recorded at frequency rank #13,686, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃlʏsə]. schlüssig is at rank #25,752, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃlʏsɪç].

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 39438, this pair ranks #1,536,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schlüsse vs schlüssig

Shared letters: chlsü. Private to "Schlüsse": e. Private to "schlüssig": gi.

"Schlüsse" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV  ·  "schlüssig" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Schlüsse" and "schlüssig" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Schlüsse" is a noun and "schlüssig" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Schlüsse" or "schlüssig"?
"Schlüsse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,686 in our German list, against #25,752 for "schlüssig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list