Which to use
“schmutzig” and “schmutzigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,376
- “schmutzig” frequency rank
- #19,374
- “schmutzigen” frequency rank
- 31750
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmutzig | schmutzigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht sauber, mit Schmutz behaftet | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schmutzig |
Where the eye mixes schmutzig and schmutzigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between schmutzig and schmutzigen
A purely visual mix-up. schmutzig ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪç]) and schmutzigen ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “schmutzig” sits inside “schmutzigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31750, 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]. schmutzigen is at rank #19,374, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡn̩].
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 31750, this pair ranks #1,721,840 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schmutzig vs schmutzigen
Shared letters: cghimstuz. Private to "schmutzig": -. Private to "schmutzigen": en.
"schmutzig" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schmutzigen" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schmutzig ← cshmutzig · scchmutzig · schhmutzig · schmmutzig · schmtuzig · schmutizg · schmuttzig · schmutzgi
- schmutzigen ← cshmutzigen · scchmutzigen · schhmutzigen · schmmutzigen · schmtuzigen · schmutizgen · schmuttzigen · schmutzgien
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "schmutzig" for "schmutzigen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "schmutzig" or "schmutzigen"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "schmutzig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "schmutzigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,721,840 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schmutzig" and "schmutzigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmutzigen 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 #1,721,840 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.