schmilztvsschwilltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,130
“schmilzt” frequency rank
#42,121
“schwillt” frequency rank
64251
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schmilzt schwillt
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schmelzen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schwellen

Where the eye mixes schmilzt and schwillt

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

8 ch
schmilzt
8 ch
schwillt

Why the eye confuses schmilzt with schwillt

A purely visual mix-up. schmilzt ([ʃmɪlt͡st]) and schwillt ([ʃvɪlt]) 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 64251, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schmilzt is recorded at frequency rank #22,130, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃmɪlt͡st]. schwillt is at rank #42,121, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃvɪlt].

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 64251, this pair ranks #648,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schmilzt vs schwillt

Shared letters: chilst. Private to "schmilzt": mz. Private to "schwillt": w.

"schmilzt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC  ·  "schwillt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schmilztcshmilzt · scchmilzt · schhmilzt · schimlzt · schmillzt · schmiltz · schmilztt · schmilzzt
  • schwilltcshwillt · scchwillt · schhwillt · schiwllt · schwilltt · schwilt · schwiltl · schwlilt

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schmilzt" and "schwillt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ʃmɪlt͡st] versus [ʃvɪlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schmilzt" vs "schwillt" - which ranks higher?
"schmilzt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,130 in our German list, against #42,121 for "schwillt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "schmilzt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schwillt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #648,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schmilzt" and "schwillt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schrille vs schwillt". 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 #648,217 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