schmückenvsschmücktTell them apart

Which to use

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

#17,717
“schmücken” frequency rank
#31,260
“schmückt” frequency rank
48977
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schmücken schmückt
Definition mit Schmuck ausstatten, mit Ziergegenständen verschönern 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs schmücken

Where the eye mixes schmücken and schmückt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. schmücken runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against schmückt's 8 (CCCCVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
schmücken
8 ch
schmückt

Look-alike desk: schmücken vs schmückt

A purely visual mix-up. schmücken ([ˈʃmʏkn̩]) and schmückt ([ʃmʏkt]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48977, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schmücken is recorded at frequency rank #17,717, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃmʏkn̩]. schmückt is at rank #31,260, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃmʏkt].

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 48977, this pair ranks #1,228,542 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schmücken vs schmückt

Shared letters: chkmsü. Private to "schmücken": en. Private to "schmückt": t.

"schmücken" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC  ·  "schmückt" · 8 letters · shape CCCCVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "schmücken" for "schmückt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃmʏkn̩] versus [ʃmʏkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schmücken" vs "schmückt" - which ranks higher?
"schmücken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,717 in our German list, against #31,260 for "schmückt". 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 "schmücken" and "schmückt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "schmücken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "schmückt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,228,542 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schmücken" and "schmückt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schlucke vs schmückt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,228,542 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