schlechthin
[ˈʃlɛçtˈhɪn]
The verdict
“schlechthin” has 19 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #14,167. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #14,167
- frequency rank, German
- 107,600
- “S” headwords
- 19
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - an sich, im eigentlichen Sinn, in Reinkultur, par excellence, per se, ohne Einschränkung
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | schlechthin |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | [ˈʃlɛçtˈhɪn] |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #14,167 |
| Misspellings tracked | 19 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “schlechthin” sits in German frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 19 spelling variants around schlechthin (IPA [ˈʃlɛçtˈhɪn]), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #14,167 among 107,600 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 19 likely wrong-spelling variants for schlechthin, with forms such as "cshlechthin", "scchlechthin", and "schelchthin". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "schlechten", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, 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 schlechthin, spelled S-C-H-L-E-C-H-T-H-I-N.
Definition
- 1an sich, im eigentlichen Sinn, in Reinkultur, par excellence, per se, ohne Einschränkung
- 2als ausdrucksverstärkendes Satzelement bloß, einfach, gerade, glatt, eben
- 3ganz und gar, vollkommen, absolut
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cshlechthin,scchlechthin,schelchthin,schhlechthin,schlcehthin,schlecchthin,schlechhthin,schlechhtin,schlechthhin,schlechthinn,schlechthni,schlechtihn,schlechtthin,schlecthhin,schlehcthin,schllechthin,sclhechthin,shclechthin,sschlechthin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of schlechthin - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "schlechthin"?
What does "schlechthin" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "schlechthin"?
How do you pronounce "schlechthin"?
What language does "schlechthin" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “schlechthin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is S-C-H-L-E-C-H-T-H-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈʃlɛçtˈhɪn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “schlechten” - see the side-by-side comparison. schlechthin vs schlechten
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Same frequency band
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.