aldavsAltarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“alda” and “Altar” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,005
“alda” frequency rank
#8,164
“Altar” frequency rank
49169
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alda Altar
Definition (große, hohe) Welle, Wellengang tischähnliche Einrichtung (zum Beispiel in einer Kirche) zur Feier eines Gottesdienstes, zur kultischen Verehrung oder für das Abhalten von Ritualen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alda and Altar apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
alda
5 ch
Altar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alda ([ˈalda]) and Altar ([alˈtaːɐ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49169, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alda is recorded at frequency rank #41,005, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈalda]. Altar is at rank #8,164, tagged as anoun, pronounced [alˈtaːɐ̯].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 49169, this pair ranks #1,221,552 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of alda vs Altar

Shared letters: al. Private to "alda": d. Private to "Altar": rt.

"alda" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "Altar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aldaadla · alad · aldda · allda
  • Altaralatr · alltar · altarr · altra · alttar · atlar · latar

Frequency comparison

alda#41,005
Altar#8,164

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alda" and "Altar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈalda] versus [alˈtaːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alda" or "Altar"?
"Altar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,164 in our German list, against #41,005 for "alda". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alda vs Altar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alda” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list