schlimm
[ʃlɪm]
The verdict
“schlimm” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,432 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #1,432
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 17
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - sehr negativ; nicht gut
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 | schlimm |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ʃlɪm] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #1,432 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 17 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “schlimm” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for schlimm is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʃlɪm]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,432 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for schlimm, with forms such as "cshlimm", "scchlimm", and "schhlimm". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "Schwamm", "schramm", "Schlitz", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
No borrowing history is documented 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 schlimm, spelled S-C-H-L-I-M-M.
Definition
- 1sehr negativ; nicht gut
- 2gegen anerkannte Werte verstoßend
- 3(Stelle des Körpers) nicht gesund, (chronisch) krank oder entzündet
- 4(Krankheiten, Verletzungen, etc.) bedrohlich oder ernsthaft
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cshlimm,scchlimm,schhlimm,schilmm,schlim,schllimm,schlmim,sclhimm,shclimm,sschlimm
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of schlimm - 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 "schlimm"?
What does "schlimm" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "schlimm"?
How do you pronounce "schlimm"?
What language does "schlimm" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “schlimm”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is S-C-H-L-I-M-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ʃlɪm] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Schwamm” - see the side-by-side comparison. schlimm vs Schwamm
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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.