Which to use
“Pointe” is a noun and “poste” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,098
- “Pointe” frequency rank
- #13,669
- “poste” frequency rank
- 30767
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Pointe | poste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aufschlussreicher, unvorhergesehener Gipfel/Kulminationspunkt einer Erzählung/Entwicklung | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs posen |
Where the eye mixes Pointe and poste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Pointe vs poste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Pointe is [ˈpo̯ɛ̃ːtə] while poste is [ˈpoːstə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30767, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Pointe is recorded at frequency rank #17,098, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpo̯ɛ̃ːtə]. poste is at rank #13,669, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpoːstə].
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 30767, this pair ranks #1,741,487 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Pointe vs poste
Shared letters: eopt. Private to "Pointe": in. Private to "poste": s.
"Pointe" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "poste" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Pointe" and "poste" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Pointe" or "poste" show up more?
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 "Pointe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "poste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,741,487 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Pointe" and "poste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "poste vs postete". 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 #1,741,487 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.