Schmalz

[ʃmalt͡s]

/[ʃmalt͡s]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Schmalz” has 12 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #31,778. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,778
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - streichfähiges, ausgelassenes tierisches Fett (besonders von Schweinen und Gänsen; früher auch von Hühnern und Hunden)

Corpus desk

Index DE-schmalz · Schmalz · German

Schmalz · rank #31,778 · 12 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,778
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH Schmalkalden

Nearest frequency peer: Schmalkalden (-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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Schmalz“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Schmalz“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Schmalz vs Schulz
71% similar
Schmalz vs Scholz
71% similar
Schmalz vs Schwaz
71% similar

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

Key facts for Schmalz
PropertyValue
HeadwordSchmalz
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ʃmalt͡s]
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,778
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Schmalz“

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.Schmalzliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Schmalkalden“ (#31,777), „Schmelzer“ (#31,779), „schlägst“ (#31,776). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „Schmalz“ bei #31,778. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Schmalz (IPA [ʃmalt͡s]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,778 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Schmalz, with forms such as "cshmalz", "scchmalz", and "schamlz". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Schulz", "Scholz", "Schwaz", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 Schmalz, spelled S-C-H-M-A-L-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    streichfähiges, ausgelassenes tierisches Fett (besonders von Schweinen und Gänsen; früher auch von Hühnern und Hunden)
  2. 2
    gelbe ausgelassene Butter
  3. 3
    aus Milch (vor allem Kuhmilch) gewonnenes weißes bis gelbliches, streichfähiges Speisefett bestehend aus mindestens 80 % Milchfett und zirka 18 % Wasser, dem weitere Inhaltsstoffe (zum Beispiel: Kochsalz, amtlich zugelassene [pflanzliche] Farbstoffe) zugesetzt sein können, und das besonders als Brotaufstrich verwendet wird
  4. 4
    Körperfett des Dachses und Murmeltieres
  5. 5
    körperliche Stärke, geistiges Vermögen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Krapfen werden in viel heißem Schmalz ausgebacken.
  2. Schmalz wurde früher auch häufig als Schmiermittel eingesetzt.

Synonyms

SchmerSchmutzButterschmalzSchmalzbutterRinderschmalzRindsschmalzBratbuttereingesottene ButterButterSüdwestdeutschlandschwäbischSchweizAnkeAnkenFrankreichElsassSchweizAnkerKraft

This word in other languages

lard(English)enjundia(Español)graisse(Français)banha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cshmalz
  • scchmalz
  • schamlz
  • schhmalz
  • schmallz
  • schmalzz
  • schmazl
  • schmlaz
  • schmmalz
  • scmhalz
  • shcmalz
  • sschmalz

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cshmalz2scchmalz1schamlz2schhmalz1schmallz1schmalzz1schmazl2schmlaz2
Edit distance from "Schmalz"

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 "Schmalz"?
"Schmalz" is spelled S-C-H-M-A-L-Z. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃmalt͡s].
What does "Schmalz" mean?
As a noun, "Schmalz" means: streichfähiges, ausgelassenes tierisches Fett (besonders von Schweinen und Gänsen; früher auch von Hühnern und Hunden)
What words are commonly confused with "Schmalz"?
"Schmalz" is commonly confused with "Schulz", "Scholz", "Schwaz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Schmalz"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Schmalz" is [ʃmalt͡s]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Schmalz" come from?
"Schmalz" 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 "Schmalz", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

skurril#31,794sorglos#31,796Reitern#31,753Störche#31,811

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

saftigen12 variantsquartiere12 variantsprivatem12 variantsTorjäger12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list