Which to use
“schmälern” is a verb and “schmales” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,760
- “schmälern” frequency rank
- #39,617
- “schmales” frequency rank
- 77377
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmälern | schmales |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | geringer oder weniger machen | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schmal |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schmälern and schmales apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schmälern is [ˈʃmɛːlɐn] while schmales is [ˈʃmaːləs]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schmälern is recorded at frequency rank #37,760, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmɛːlɐn]. schmales is at rank #39,617, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃmaːləs].
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 77377, this pair ranks #262,096 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of schmälern vs schmales
Shared letters: cehlms. Private to "schmälern": nrä. Private to "schmales": a.
"schmälern" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCVCC · "schmales" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schmales ← cshmales · scchmales · schamles · schhmales · schmaels · schmaless · schmalles · schmalse
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schmälern" and "schmales" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schmälern" or "schmales"?
Remembering schmälern vs schmales
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schmälern”; for an adjective, it's “schmales”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schmälern” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable