schmutzigvsschmutzigesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,376
“schmutzig” frequency rank
#47,716
“schmutziges” frequency rank
60092
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schmutzig schmutziges
Definition nicht sauber, mit Schmutz behaftet Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schmutzig

Where the eye mixes schmutzig and schmutziges

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

9 ch
schmutzig
11 ch
schmutziges

Why the eye confuses schmutzig with schmutziges

A purely visual mix-up. schmutzig ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪç]) and schmutziges ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡəs]) 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 “schmutziges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60092, 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]. schmutziges is at rank #47,716, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡəs].

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 60092, this pair ranks #799,919 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of schmutzig vs schmutziges

Shared letters: cghimstuz. Private to "schmutzig": -. Private to "schmutziges": e.

"schmutzig" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC  ·  "schmutziges" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schmutzigcshmutzig · scchmutzig · schhmutzig · schmmutzig · schmtuzig · schmutizg · schmuttzig · schmutzgi
  • schmutzigescshmutziges · scchmutziges · schhmutziges · schmmutziges · schmtuziges · schmutizges · schmuttziges · schmutzgies

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "schmutzig" and "schmutziges" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃmʊt͡sɪç] versus [ˈʃmʊt͡sɪɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "schmutzig" vs "schmutziges" - which ranks higher?
"schmutzig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,376 in our German list, against #47,716 for "schmutziges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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 "schmutziges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #799,919 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "schmutzig" and "schmutziges" 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 #799,919 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