Which to use
“Schmuggel” and “Schmuggler” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,793
- “Schmuggel” frequency rank
- #40,825
- “Schmuggler” frequency rank
- 83618
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schmuggel | Schmuggler |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | heimlicher Transport zollpflichtiger oder verbotener Waren beziehungsweise von nicht zum Übertritt berechtigten Personen über Grenzen | Person, die schmuggelt, die Ware illegal über die Staatsgrenze bringt und nicht den notwendigen Zoll und andere Steuern oder Abgaben zahlt |
Where the eye mixes Schmuggel and Schmuggler
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Schmuggel runs 9 letters (CCCCVCCVC) against Schmuggler's 10 (CCCCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Schmuggel and Schmuggler
A purely visual mix-up. Schmuggel ([ˈʃmʊɡl̩]) and Schmuggler ([ˈʃmʊɡlɐ]) 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 83618, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schmuggel is recorded at frequency rank #42,793, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃmʊɡl̩]. Schmuggler is at rank #40,825, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃmʊɡlɐ].
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 83618, this pair ranks #136,909 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Schmuggel vs Schmuggler
Shared letters: ceghlmsu. Private to "Schmuggel": -. Private to "Schmuggler": r.
"Schmuggel" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "Schmuggler" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Schmuggel ← cshmuggel · scchmuggel · schhmuggel · schmgugel · schmmuggel · schmugegl · schmugel · schmuggell
- Schmuggler ← cshmuggler · scchmuggler · schhmuggler · schmgugler · schmmuggler · schmuggelr · schmugglerr · schmuggller
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schmuggel" and "Schmuggler" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Schmuggel" or "Schmuggler"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Schmuggel" and "Schmuggler" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Schmuggel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Schmuggler" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #136,909 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schmuggel" and "Schmuggler" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Schmuggel vs schmuggeln". 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 #136,909 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.