SchmidtvsSchmiedTell them apart

Quick tell: Schmidt is a name, Schmied is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Schmidt” is a name and “Schmied” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,124
“Schmidt” frequency rank
#17,716
“Schmied” frequency rank
19840
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schmidt Schmied
Definition deutschsprachiger Nachname, Familienname Handwerker, der Metalle mittels Feuer und Schlagwerkzeugen bearbeitet

Where the eye mixes Schmidt and Schmied

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Schmidt
7 ch
Schmied

Look-alike desk: Schmidt vs Schmied

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Schmidt is [ʃmɪt] while Schmied is [ʃmiːt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19840, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Schmidt is recorded at frequency rank #2,124, classified as aname, pronounced [ʃmɪt]. Schmied is at rank #17,716, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃmiːt].

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 19840, this pair ranks #1,904,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schmidt vs Schmied

Shared letters: cdhims. Private to "Schmidt": t. Private to "Schmied": e.

"Schmidt" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC  ·  "Schmied" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schmidtcshmidt · scchmidt · schhmidt · schimdt · schmdit · schmiddt · schmidtt · schmitd
  • Schmiedcshmied · scchmied · schhmied · schimed · schmeid · schmide · schmiedd · schmmied

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Schmidt" and "Schmied" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Schmidt" is a name and "Schmied" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Schmidt" or "Schmied"?
"Schmidt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,124 in our German list, against #17,716 for "Schmied". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schmidt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schmied" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,904,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schmidt" and "Schmied" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schmied vs Schmiere". 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 #1,904,039 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