quadvsquältWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: quad is a noun, quält is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“quad” is a noun and “quält” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,275
“quad” frequency rank
#28,340
“quält” frequency rank
53615
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quad quält
Definition allseitig von Gebäuden umgrenzter und quadratischer oder rechteckiger Platz 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs quälen

Where the eye mixes quad and quält

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. quad runs 4 letters (CVVC) against quält's 5 (CVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
quad
5 ch
quält

Look-alike desk: quad vs quält

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: quad is [kwɒd] while quält is [kvɛːlt]. 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 53615, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quad is recorded at frequency rank #25,275, classified as anoun, pronounced [kwɒd]. quält is at rank #28,340, tagged as averb, pronounced [kvɛːlt].

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 53615, this pair ranks #1,051,091 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of quad vs quält

Shared letters: qu. Private to "quad": ad. Private to "quält": ltä.

"quad" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "quält" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • quad ← qaud · qquad · quadd · quda · uqad

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quad" and "quält" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "quad" is a noun and "quält" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "quad" vs "quält" - which ranks higher?
"quad" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,275 in our German list, against #28,340 for "quält". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "quad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "quält" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,051,091 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "quad" and "quält" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quält vs Quint". 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 #1,051,091 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