Which to use
“schmieden” and “schminken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,050
- “schmieden” frequency rank
- #26,157
- “schminken” frequency rank
- 46207
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmieden | schminken |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Metall mit Hitze und einem Hammer bearbeiten | Haut, Gesicht oder Augen mit Hilfe von Schminke farblich gestalten |
Where the eye mixes schmieden and schminken
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between schmieden and schminken
A purely visual mix-up. schmieden ([ˈʃmiːdn̩]) and schminken ([ˈʃmɪŋkn̩]) 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 46207, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schmieden is recorded at frequency rank #20,050, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmiːdn̩]. schminken is at rank #26,157, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmɪŋkn̩].
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 46207, this pair ranks #1,326,910 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schmieden vs schminken
Shared letters: cehimns. Private to "schmieden": d. Private to "schminken": k.
"schmieden" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVVCVC · "schminken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schmieden" for "schminken" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schmieden" or "schminken"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "schmieden" and "schminken" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "schmieden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schminken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,326,910 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schmieden" and "schminken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmieden 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 #1,326,910 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.