Which to use
“Schmelz” and “Schmelzer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,613
- “Schmelz” frequency rank
- #31,779
- “Schmelzer” frequency rank
- 68392
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schmelz | Schmelzer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Glasur auf der Oberfläche | Person, die beruflich Erz schmilzt |
Where the eye mixes Schmelz and Schmelzer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Schmelz runs 7 letters (CCCCVCC) against Schmelzer's 9 (CCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Schmelz with Schmelzer
A purely visual mix-up. Schmelz ([ʃmɛlt͡s]) and Schmelzer ([ˈʃmɛlt͡sɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Schmelz” sits inside “Schmelzer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68392, 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]. Schmelzer is at rank #31,779, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃmɛlt͡sɐ].
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 68392, this pair ranks #509,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Schmelz vs Schmelzer
Shared letters: cehlmsz. Private to "Schmelz": -. Private to "Schmelzer": r.
"Schmelz" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC · "Schmelzer" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Schmelz" and "Schmelzer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Schmelz" vs "Schmelzer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Schmelz" and "Schmelzer" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schmelz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schmelzer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #509,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schmelz" and "Schmelzer" 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 #509,270 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.