Which to use
“schwimmen” is a verb and “schwimmende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,399
- “schwimmen” frequency rank
- #36,011
- “schwimmende” frequency rank
- 39410
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | schwimmen | schwimmende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich im Wasser aus eigener Kraft (durch Bewegung der Extremitäten) fortbewegen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs schwimmend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set schwimmen and schwimmende apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: schwimmen is [ˈʃvɪmən] while schwimmende is [ˈʃvɪməndə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “schwimmen” sits inside “schwimmende”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39410, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
schwimmen is recorded at frequency rank #3,399, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃvɪmən]. schwimmende is at rank #36,011, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃvɪməndə].
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 39410, this pair ranks #1,537,588 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of schwimmen vs schwimmende
Shared letters: cehimnsw. Private to "schwimmen": -. Private to "schwimmende": d.
"schwimmen" · 9 letters · shape CCCCVCCVC · "schwimmende" · 11 letters · shape CCCCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- schwimmen ← cshwimmen · scchwimmen · schhwimmen · schiwmmen · schwimemn · schwimen · schwimmenn · schwimmne
- schwimmende ← cshwimmende · scchwimmende · schhwimmende · schiwmmende · schwimemnde · schwimende · schwimmedne · schwimmendde
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "schwimmen" and "schwimmende" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "schwimmen" or "schwimmende"?
Remembering schwimmen vs schwimmende
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “schwimmen”; for an adjective, it's “schwimmende”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “schwimmen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable