SchmidtvsSchmitzTell them apart

Which to use

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

#2,124
“Schmidt” frequency rank
#12,582
“Schmitz” frequency rank
14706
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Schmidt Schmitz
Definition deutschsprachiger Nachname, Familienname deutscher Nachname, Familienname

Where the eye mixes Schmidt and Schmitz

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

7 ch
Schmidt
7 ch
Schmitz

Look-alike desk: Schmidt vs Schmitz

A purely visual mix-up. Schmidt ([ʃmɪt]) and Schmitz ([ʃmɪt͡s]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14706, 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]. Schmitz is at rank #12,582, tagged as aname, pronounced [ʃmɪt͡s].

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 14706, this pair ranks #1,949,333 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Schmidt vs Schmitz

Shared letters: chimst. Private to "Schmidt": d. Private to "Schmitz": z.

"Schmidt" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC  ·  "Schmitz" · 7 letters · shape CCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Schmidtcshmidt · scchmidt · schhmidt · schimdt · schmdit · schmiddt · schmidtt · schmitd
  • Schmitzcshmitz · scchmitz · schhmitz · schimtz · schmittz · schmitzz · schmizt · schmmitz

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Schmidt" for "Schmitz" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃmɪt] versus [ʃmɪt͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Schmidt" vs "Schmitz" - which ranks higher?
"Schmidt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,124 in our German list, against #12,582 for "Schmitz". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Schmidt" and "Schmitz" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Schmidt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Schmitz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,949,333 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Schmidt" and "Schmitz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schlitze vs Schmitz". 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 #1,949,333 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