cheat sheet
der Spickzettel, die Spickzettel
Loading your saved state.
cheat sheet
A small piece of paper with notes used to cheat on an exam.
Die Lehrerin erwischte ihn während der Klassenarbeit mit einem Spickzettel unter dem Tisch.
The teacher caught him with a cheat sheet under the desk during the test.
cheat sheet
An informal term for a piece of paper with important information or key points used as a memory aid.
Für ihre Begrüßungsrede hatte sie einen Spickzettel mit den Namen aller Gäste vorbereitet.
For her welcome speech, she had prepared a cheat sheet with the names of all the guests.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Spickzettel |
| genitive | des Spickzettels |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Spickzettel | die Spickzettel |
| accusative | den Spickzettel | die Spickzettel |
| dative | dem Spickzettel | den Spickzetteln |
| genitive | des Spickzettels | der Spickzettel |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Spickzettel' (cheat sheet) is made up of 'Spick-' (from 'spicken', to cheat) and 'Zettel' (note or slip of paper). The component 'Zettel' refers to the small note on paper; 'Spick-' refers to secretly looking at notes during an exam.
Auf dem Spickzettel standen nur wenige Formeln.
There were only a few formulas on the cheat sheet.
You can often tell from the context whether a 'Spickzettel' (cheat sheet) is used to cheat or simply as a memory aid: words such as 'Prüfung' (exam), 'Klassenarbeit' (class test), or 'erwischt werden' (to get caught) suggest cheating. With 'Rede' (speech), 'Vortrag' (presentation), or 'Stichpunkten' (key points), it usually refers to notes that are allowed.
Der Schüler wurde mit einem Spickzettel bei der Prüfung erwischt.
The student was caught with a cheat sheet during the exam.
Für den Vortrag schrieb sie sich einen Spickzettel mit den wichtigsten Punkten.
For the presentation, she wrote herself a cheat sheet with the most important points.
When referring to an unauthorized exam aid, 'Spickzettel' (cheat sheet) is often used with verbs such as 'benutzen' (to use), 'verstecken' (to hide), and 'entdecken' (to discover). The phrase 'mit einem Spickzettel erwischt werden' (to get caught with a cheat sheet) is also common.
Der Schüler hatte den Spickzettel im Ärmel versteckt.
The student had hidden the cheat sheet up his sleeve.
When used as permitted notes, a 'Spickzettel' (cheat sheet) usually contains brief bullet points, names, numbers, or other keywords. The phrase 'einen Spickzettel vorbereiten' (to prepare a cheat sheet) is common when talking about a speech, a presentation, or a conversation.
Vor dem Bewerbungsgespräch bereitete sie einen Spickzettel mit wichtigen Daten vor.
Before the job interview, she prepared a cheat sheet with important facts and figures.
