Which to use
“Schmelz” is a noun and “schmelze” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,613
- “Schmelz” frequency rank
- #36,009
- “schmelze” frequency rank
- 72622
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schmelz | schmelze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Glasur auf der Oberfläche | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schmelzen |
Where the eye mixes Schmelz and schmelze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Schmelz runs 7 letters (CCCCVCC) against schmelze's 8 (CCCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Schmelz with schmelze
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schmelz is [ʃmɛlt͡s] while schmelze is [ˈʃmɛlt͡sə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Schmelz” sits inside “schmelze”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schmelz is recorded at frequency rank #36,613, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃmɛlt͡s]. schmelze is at rank #36,009, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmɛlt͡sə].
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 72622, this pair ranks #383,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Schmelz vs schmelze
Shared letters: cehlmsz. Private to "Schmelz": -. Private to "schmelze": -.
"Schmelz" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC · "schmelze" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Schmelz" for "schmelze" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Schmelz" vs "schmelze" - which ranks higher?
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 "Schmelz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schmelze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #383,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schmelz" and "schmelze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schmelz vs Schwelm". 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 #383,152 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.