Which to use
“schmeckte” and “schreckt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,039
- “schmeckte” frequency rank
- #23,304
- “schreckt” frequency rank
- 50343
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmeckte | schreckt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs schmecken | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schrecken |
Where the eye mixes schmeckte and schreckt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schmeckte runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCCV) against schreckt's 8 (CCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: schmeckte vs schreckt
A purely visual mix-up. schmeckte ([ˈʃmɛktə]) and schreckt ([ʃʁɛkt]) 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 50343, 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]. schreckt is at rank #23,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃʁɛkt].
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 50343, this pair ranks #1,177,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schmeckte vs schreckt
Shared letters: cehkst. Private to "schmeckte": m. Private to "schreckt": r.
"schmeckte" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCCV · "schreckt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schmeckte" and "schreckt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "schmeckte" or "schreckt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schmeckte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schreckt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,177,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schmeckte" and "schreckt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schluckte vs schmeckte". 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 #1,177,347 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.