Which to use
“schmutzig” and “schmutziger” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,376
- “schmutzig” frequency rank
- #42,794
- “schmutziger” frequency rank
- 55170
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schmutzig | schmutziger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht sauber, mit Schmutz behaftet | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs schmutzig |
Where the eye mixes schmutzig and schmutziger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: schmutzig vs schmutziger
A purely visual mix-up. schmutzig ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪç]) and schmutziger ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡɐ]) 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 “schmutziger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55170, 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]. schmutziger is at rank #42,794, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡɐ].
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 55170, this pair ranks #990,025 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of schmutzig vs schmutziger
Shared letters: cghimstuz. Private to "schmutzig": -. Private to "schmutziger": er.
"schmutzig" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schmutziger" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- schmutzig ← cshmutzig · scchmutzig · schhmutzig · schmmutzig · schmtuzig · schmutizg · schmuttzig · schmutzgi
- schmutziger ← cshmutziger · scchmutziger · schhmutziger · schmmutziger · schmtuziger · schmutizger · schmuttziger · schmutzgier
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "schmutzig" and "schmutziger" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "schmutzig" or "schmutziger" show up more?
Useful next steps
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 "schmutziger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #990,025 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "schmutzig" and "schmutziger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "schmutziger 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 #990,025 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.