Which to use
“schmecken” and “schwenken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,114
- “schmecken” frequency rank
- #30,756
- “schwenken” frequency rank
- 35870
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmecken | schwenken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Geschmackssinn anwenden, etwas mit dem Geschmackssinn prüfen, wahrnehmen | hin und her bewegen, wedeln |
Where the eye mixes schmecken and schwenken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: schmecken vs schwenken
A purely visual mix-up. schmecken ([ˈʃmɛkn̩]) and schwenken ([ˈʃvɛŋkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35870, 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]. schwenken is at rank #30,756, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɛŋkn̩].
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 35870, this pair ranks #1,629,534 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schmecken vs schwenken
Shared letters: cehkns. Private to "schmecken": m. Private to "schwenken": w.
"schmecken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schwenken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schmecken" and "schwenken" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "schmecken" vs "schwenken" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "schmecken" and "schwenken" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schmecken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schwenken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,629,534 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schmecken" and "schwenken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schwanke vs schwenken". 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 #1,629,534 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.