apelvsApfelWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,710
“apel” frequency rank
#6,628
“Apfel” frequency rank
55338
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature apel Apfel
Definition Apfel als Frucht des Apfelbaums rundliche Frucht des Apfelbaums mit Schale, Fruchtfleisch und Kerngehäuse

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set apel and Apfel apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
apel
5 ch
Apfel

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

apel and Apfel are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

apel is recorded at frequency rank #48,710, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. Apfel is at rank #6,628, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈap͡fl̩].

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 55338, this pair ranks #983,470 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of apel vs Apfel

Shared letters: aelp. Private to "apel": -. Private to "Apfel": f.

"apel" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "Apfel" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • apelaepl · pael
  • Apfelafpel · apefl · apfell · apffel · apfle · appfel · pafel

Frequency comparison

apel#48,710
Apfel#6,628

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "apel" and "Apfel" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "apel" or "Apfel"?
"Apfel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,628 in our German list, against #48,710 for "apel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering apel vs Apfel

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 “apel” 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