Which to use
“schmutzig” and “schmutzige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,376
- “schmutzig” frequency rank
- #15,201
- “schmutzige” frequency rank
- 27577
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmutzig | schmutzige |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht sauber, mit Schmutz behaftet | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schmutzig |
Where the eye mixes schmutzig and schmutzige
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses schmutzig with schmutzige
A purely visual mix-up. schmutzig ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪç]) and schmutzige ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “schmutzig” sits inside “schmutzige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27577, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schmutzig is recorded at frequency rank #12,376, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃmʊt͡sɪç]. schmutzige is at rank #15,201, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡə].
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 27577, this pair ranks #1,799,478 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schmutzig vs schmutzige
Shared letters: cghimstuz. Private to "schmutzig": -. Private to "schmutzige": e.
"schmutzig" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schmutzige" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schmutzig ← cshmutzig · scchmutzig · schhmutzig · schmmutzig · schmtuzig · schmutizg · schmuttzig · schmutzgi
- schmutzige ← cshmutzige · scchmutzige · schhmutzige · schmmutzige · schmtuzige · schmutizge · schmuttzige · schmutzgie
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schmutzig" and "schmutzige" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "schmutzig" or "schmutzige" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "schmutzig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schmutzige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,799,478 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schmutzig" and "schmutzige" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmutzige vs schmutziges". 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 #1,799,478 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.