Which to use
“Ampel” and “appel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,435
- “Ampel” frequency rank
- #25,889
- “appel” frequency rank
- 33324
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ampel | appel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (kleinere, schalenförmige) von der Decke hängende Lampe | Apfel |
Where the eye mixes Ampel and appel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Ampel with appel
A purely visual mix-up. Ampel ([ˈampl̩]) and appel ([ˈɑpəɫ]) 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 a single letter - m in “Ampel” becomes p in “appel”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33324, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ampel is recorded at frequency rank #7,435, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈampl̩]. appel is at rank #25,889, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɑpəɫ].
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 33324, this pair ranks #1,688,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ampel vs appel
Shared letters: aelp. Private to "Ampel": m. Private to "appel": -.
"Ampel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "appel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ampel" and "appel" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Ampel" or "appel"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ampel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "appel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,688,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ampel" and "appel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "appel vs appelle". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,688,425 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.