schmeckenvsschmecktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,114
“schmecken” frequency rank
#2,787
“schmeckt” frequency rank
7901
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schmecken schmeckt
Definition den Geschmackssinn anwenden, etwas mit dem Geschmackssinn prüfen, wahrnehmen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schmecken

Where the eye mixes schmecken and schmeckt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

9 ch
schmecken
8 ch
schmeckt

Look-alike desk: schmecken vs schmeckt

A purely visual mix-up. schmecken ([ˈʃmɛkn̩]) and schmeckt ([ʃmɛkt]) 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 7901, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schmecken is recorded at frequency rank #5,114, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmɛkn̩]. schmeckt is at rank #2,787, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃmɛkt].

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 7901, this pair ranks #1,986,415 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schmecken vs schmeckt

Shared letters: cehkms. Private to "schmecken": n. Private to "schmeckt": t.

"schmecken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC  ·  "schmeckt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schmeckencshmecken · scchmecken · schemcken · schhmecken · schmceken · schmeccken · schmecekn · schmeckenn
  • schmecktcshmeckt · scchmeckt · schemckt · schhmeckt · schmcekt · schmecckt · schmeckkt · schmecktt

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schmecken" and "schmeckt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃmɛkn̩] versus [ʃmɛkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schmecken" or "schmeckt"?
"schmeckt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,787 in our German list, against #5,114 for "schmecken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schmecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schmeckt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,986,415 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schmecken" and "schmeckt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmecken vs schocken". 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 #1,986,415 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