gespicktvsgespieltWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,692
“gespickt” frequency rank
#1,081
“gespielt” frequency rank
35773
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gespickt gespielt
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs spicken Partizip Perfekt des Verbs spielen

Where the eye mixes gespickt and gespielt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. gespickt (CVCCVCCC) and gespielt (CVCCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
gespickt
8 ch
gespielt

Why the eye confuses gespickt with gespielt

A purely visual mix-up. gespickt ([ɡəˈʃpɪkt]) and gespielt ([ɡəˈʃpiːlt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gespickt is recorded at frequency rank #34,692, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpɪkt]. gespielt is at rank #1,081, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃpiːlt].

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 35773, this pair ranks #1,631,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gespickt vs gespielt

Shared letters: egipst. Private to "gespickt": ck. Private to "gespielt": l.

"gespickt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "gespielt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gespickt ← egspickt · gepsickt · gesipckt · gespcikt · gespicckt · gespickkt · gespicktt · gespictk
  • gespielt ← egspielt · gepsielt · gesipelt · gespeilt · gespiellt · gespieltt · gespietl · gespilet

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "gespickt" and "gespielt" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɡəˈʃpɪkt] versus [ɡəˈʃpiːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "gespickt" vs "gespielt" - which ranks higher?
"gespielt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,081 in our German list, against #34,692 for "gespickt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gespickt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gespielt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,631,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gespickt" and "gespielt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gespickt vs gespuckt". 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 #1,631,879 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list