schlecht

[ʃlɛçt]

/[ʃlɛçt]/ adj

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

The verdict

“schlecht” has 14 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #649. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#649
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - nicht den Anforderungen oder Erwartungen entsprechend, weil mit Mängeln behaftet

Corpus desk

Index DE-schlecht · schlecht · German

schlecht · rank #649 · 14 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #649
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH Moment

Nearest frequency peer: Moment (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “schlecht”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “schlecht” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

schlecht vs schlich
75% similar
schlecht vs schmeckt
75% similar
schlecht vs schlicht
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for schlecht
PropertyValue
Headwordschlecht
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ʃlɛçt]
Letters8
Frequency rank#649
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “schlecht” 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). schlecht lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around schlecht (IPA [ʃlɛçt]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #649 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for schlecht, with forms such as "cshlecht", "scchlecht", and "schelcht". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "schlich", "schmeckt", "schlicht", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is schlecht, spelled S-C-H-L-E-C-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    nicht den Anforderungen oder Erwartungen entsprechend, weil mit Mängeln behaftet
  2. 2
    nicht hinreichend gut, wenn man es mit dem Zustand vergleicht, der ausreichend oder sogar gut ist
  3. 3
    nicht mehr genießbar/anwendbar, etwa bei Lebensmitteln
  4. 4
    moralisch nicht akzeptabel
  5. 5
    sich unwohl oder krank fühlend
  6. 6
    nicht so, dass es fördert und nützt, sondern so, dass es schadet
  7. 7
    nicht so einfach, nur unter großen Mühen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how schlecht appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Die Messer sind von schlechter Qualität, sie schneiden nicht.
  2. „Die CDU-Vorsitzende Angela Merkel, der in der Partei schlechtes Krisenmanagement vorgeworfen wurde, ließ Meyer beschädigt zurück.“

Antonyms

gutgutleicht

This word in other languages

bad(English)malo(Español)mauvais(Français)mau(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cshlecht
  • scchlecht
  • schelcht
  • schhlecht
  • schlceht
  • schleccht
  • schlechht
  • schlechtt
  • schlecth
  • schlehct
  • schllecht
  • sclhecht
  • shclecht
  • sschlecht

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of schlecht - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cshlecht2scchlecht1schelcht2schhlecht1schlceht2schleccht1schlechht1schlechtt1
Edit distance from "schlecht"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "schlecht"?
"schlecht" is spelled S-C-H-L-E-C-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃlɛçt].
What does "schlecht" mean?
As an adjective, "schlecht" means: nicht den Anforderungen oder Erwartungen entsprechend, weil mit Mängeln behaftet
What words are commonly confused with "schlecht"?
"schlecht" is commonly confused with "schlich", "schmeckt", "schlicht". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "schlecht"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schlecht" is [ʃlɛçt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schlecht" come from?
"schlecht" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "schlecht", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sprechen#653November#661erreicht#682gekommen#615

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

insgesamt14 variantsverstehen14 variantsSeptember14 variantszumindest14 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "schlecht". Here's where to go from here.

  • "schlecht" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "schlich". View pair
  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #649 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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