Which to use
“Qual” is a noun and “quält” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,919
- “Qual” frequency rank
- #28,340
- “quält” frequency rank
- 39259
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Qual | quält |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schmerz, Leid, etwas physisch oder psychisch Belastendes | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs quälen |
Where the eye mixes Qual and quält
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Qual 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.
Visual trap between Qual and quält
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Qual is [kvaːl] 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 39259, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Qual is recorded at frequency rank #10,919, classified as anoun, pronounced [kvaːl]. 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 39259, this pair ranks #1,541,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Qual vs quält
Shared letters: lqu. Private to "Qual": a. Private to "quält": tä.
"Qual" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "quält" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Qual ← qaul · qqual · quall · qula · uqal
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Qual" for "quält" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Qual" vs "quält" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Qual" 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 #1,541,645 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Qual" 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 #1,541,645 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.