schmecktevsschmücktWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#27,039
“schmeckte” frequency rank
#31,260
“schmückt” frequency rank
58299
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schmeckte schmückt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schmecken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schmücken

Where the eye mixes schmeckte and schmückt

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

9 ch
schmeckte
8 ch
schmückt

Why the eye confuses schmeckte with schmückt

A purely visual mix-up. schmeckte ([ˈʃmɛktə]) and schmückt ([ʃmʏkt]) 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 58299, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schmeckte is recorded at frequency rank #27,039, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmɛktə]. schmückt is at rank #31,260, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃmʏkt].

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 58299, this pair ranks #868,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schmeckte vs schmückt

Shared letters: chkmst. Private to "schmeckte": e. Private to "schmückt": ü.

"schmeckte" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCCV  ·  "schmückt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schmeckte ← cshmeckte · scchmeckte · schemckte · schhmeckte · schmcekte · schmecckte · schmecket · schmeckkte

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "schmeckte" for "schmückt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃmɛktə] versus [ʃmʏkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schmeckte" or "schmückt"?
"schmeckte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,039 in our German list, against #31,260 for "schmückt". 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 "schmeckte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schmückt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #868,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schmeckte" and "schmückt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlucke vs schmückt". 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 #868,203 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