schlimm

\ʃlɪm\

/\ʃlɪm\/ adj

The verdict

“schlimm” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mauvais.

Corpus desk

Index FR-schlimm · schlimm · French

schlimm · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for schlimm
PropertyValue
Headwordschlimm
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʃlɪm\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « schlimm » en français

schlimmsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

schlimm is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ʃlɪm\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for schlimm, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is schlimm, spelled S-C-H-L-I-M-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mauvais.
  2. 2
    Grave, menaçant (qualifie des maladies, blessures etc.)
  3. 3
    Grave, dans le sens « qui a des conséquences fâcheuses », ou bien « qui va à l'encontre de valeurs reconnues ».
  4. 4
    Malade, inflammé.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Manche Dates sind schlimmer als andere. Diesmal wuselt die Mutter des Dates im Zimmer herum – während es eigentlich längst zur Sache geht.
  2. Töten, das meint auch Fertigkeiten. (...) Er zielt schnell und genau, er weiß sich mit den schlimmsten verrotteten Karabinern abzufinden, mit den am schlechtesten justierten Gewehren.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "schlimm"?
"schlimm" is spelled S-C-H-L-I-M-M. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃlɪm\.
What does "schlimm" mean?
As an adjective, "schlimm" means: Mauvais.
How do you pronounce "schlimm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "schlimm" is \ʃlɪm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "schlimm" come from?
"schlimm" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list