schelmisch

[ˈʃɛlmɪʃ]

/[ˈʃɛlmɪʃ]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“schelmisch” is uncommon German (frequency #84,514 among 107,600 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,514
frequency rank, German
107,600
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nach Art eines Schelms

Key facts for schelmisch
PropertyValue
Headwordschelmisch
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈʃɛlmɪʃ]
Letters10
Frequency rank#84,514
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “schelmisch” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). schelmisch lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

schelmisch is uncommon German at frequency #84,514 among 107,600 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed [ˈʃɛlmɪʃ]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

schelmisch doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is schelmisch, spelled S-C-H-E-L-M-I-S-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    nach Art eines Schelms
  2. 2
    nach Art eines Schurken

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "schelmisch"?
"schelmisch" is spelled S-C-H-E-L-M-I-S-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃɛlmɪʃ].
What does "schelmisch" mean?
As an adjective, "schelmisch" means: nach Art eines Schelms
How do you pronounce "schelmisch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schelmisch" is [ˈʃɛlmɪʃ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schelmisch" come from?
"schelmisch" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “schelmisch”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is S-C-H-E-L-M-I-S-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʃɛlmɪʃ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list