schwerlichvssicherlichWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,264
“schwerlich” frequency rank
#1,787
“sicherlich” frequency rank
33051
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature schwerlich sicherlich
Definition nur mit größerer (mentaler) Anstrengung mit ziemlicher Sicherheit; oftmals eine gewisse Beeinschränkung beinhaltend, die zum Beispiel mit aber angeschlossen wird

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schwerlich and sicherlich apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
schwerlich
10 ch
sicherlich

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. schwerlich ([ˈʃveːɐ̯lɪç]) and sicherlich ([ˈzɪçɐˌlɪç]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33051, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

schwerlich is recorded at frequency rank #31,264, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈʃveːɐ̯lɪç]. sicherlich is at rank #1,787, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐˌlɪç].

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 33051, this pair ranks #1,694,358 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of schwerlich vs sicherlich

Shared letters: cehilrs. Private to "schwerlich": w. Private to "sicherlich": -.

"schwerlich" · 10 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCC  ·  "sicherlich" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • schwerlichcshwerlich · scchwerlich · schewrlich · schhwerlich · schwelrich · schwerilch · schwerlcih · schwerlicch
  • sicherlichischerlich · sciherlich · siccherlich · sicehrlich · sichelrich · sicherilch · sicherlcih · sicherlicch

Frequency comparison

schwerlich#31,264
sicherlich#1,787

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "schwerlich" and "sicherlich" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃveːɐ̯lɪç] versus [ˈzɪçɐˌlɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "schwerlich" or "sicherlich"?
"sicherlich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,787 in our German list, against #31,264 for "schwerlich". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering schwerlich vs sicherlich

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schwerlich” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list