Schmetterling

[ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋ]

/[ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋ]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Schmetterling” has 20 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #13,010. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,010
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
20
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Insekt mit farbig beschuppten Flügeln (Ordnung Lepidoptera)

Corpus desk

Index DE-schmetterling · Schmetterling · German

Schmetterling · rank #13,010 · 20 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,010
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH schlimmen

Nearest frequency peer: schlimmen (-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 „Schmetterling“

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

corpus weight

What this shows „Schmetterling“ 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).

Schmetterling vs Schmetterlinge
93% similar
Schmetterling vs Schmetterlingen
87% similar

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

Key facts for Schmetterling
PropertyValue
HeadwordSchmetterling
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋ]
Letters13
Frequency rank#13,010
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Schmetterling“

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.Schmetterlingliegt 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: „schlimmen“ (#13,009), „schrecklichen“ (#13,011), „Schauplatz“ (#13,008). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „Schmetterling“ bei #13,010. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around Schmetterling (IPA [ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋ]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,010 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for Schmetterling, with forms such as "cshmetterling", "scchmetterling", and "schemtterling". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Schmetterlinge", "Schmetterlingen", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Schmetterling, spelled S-C-H-M-E-T-T-E-R-L-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Insekt mit farbig beschuppten Flügeln (Ordnung Lepidoptera)
  2. 2
    im engeren Sinne ein Tagfalter (tagaktiver Schmetterling^([1]))
  3. 3
    ein Schwimmstil
  4. 4
    eine Stellung der Segel
  5. 5
    freier Salto mit halber Drehung am höchsten Punkt
  6. 6
    eine (Kamasutra-)Sexstellung, bei der die Frau oder auch der Mann eine leicht passive Rolle hat

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Admirale, Spinner und Spanner sind Schmetterlinge.
  2. „Schmetterlinge taumeln heran, so sehr dem Wind hingegeben, als schwämmen sie auf ihm, weiße und goldene Segel der zärtlichen Luft.“

Synonyms

LepidopteraFalterZwiefalterTagfalterSommervogelSchmetterlingsschwimmenSchmetterlingsstellung

Antonyms

Nachtfalter

This word in other languages

butterfly(English)mariposa(Español)papillon(Français)borboleta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cshmetterling
  • scchmetterling
  • schemtterling
  • schhmetterling
  • schmeterling
  • schmetetrling
  • schmettelring
  • schmetterilng
  • schmetterlign
  • schmetterlingg
  • schmetterlinng
  • schmetterlling
  • schmetterlnig
  • schmetterrling
  • schmettreling
  • schmmetterling
  • schmteterling
  • scmhetterling
  • shcmetterling
  • sschmetterling

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Schmetterling - 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.

cshmetterling2scchmetterling1schemtterling2schhmetterling1schmeterling1schmetetrling2schmettelring2schmetterilng2
Edit distance from "Schmetterling"

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 "Schmetterling"?
"Schmetterling" is spelled S-C-H-M-E-T-T-E-R-L-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋ].
What does "Schmetterling" mean?
As a noun, "Schmetterling" means: Insekt mit farbig beschuppten Flügeln (Ordnung Lepidoptera)
What words are commonly confused with "Schmetterling"?
"Schmetterling" is commonly confused with "Schmetterlinge", "Schmetterlingen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Schmetterling"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Schmetterling" is [ˈʃmɛtɐlɪŋ]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Schmetterling" come from?
"Schmetterling" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

schrecklichen#13,011norddeutschen#12,980erfolgreiches#12,899eingeschlagen#13,131

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

rechtfertigt20 variantsverwirklicht20 variantsBeschaffenheit20 variantsbereitgestellt20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list