QuellvsQuelleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,230
“Quell” frequency rank
#1,267
“Quelle” frequency rank
32497
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Quell Quelle
Definition Stelle, an der Wasser oder Luft austritt Ursprung eines Flusses, fließenden Gewässers; Ort des augenscheinlichen oberirdischen Austritts von Gewässern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Quell and Quelle apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Quell
6 ch
Quelle

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Quell ([kvɛl]) and Quelle ([ˈkvɛlə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Quell” sits inside “Quelle”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32497, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Quell is recorded at frequency rank #31,230, classified as anoun, pronounced [kvɛl]. Quelle is at rank #1,267, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkvɛlə].

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 32497, this pair ranks #1,706,336 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Quell vs Quelle

Shared letters: elqu. Private to "Quell": -. Private to "Quelle": -.

"Quell" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "Quelle" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Quellqeull · qquell · quel · qulel · uqell
  • Quelleqeulle · qquelle · quele · quelel · qulele · uqelle

Frequency comparison

Quell#31,230
Quelle#1,267

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Quell" and "Quelle" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kvɛl] versus [ˈkvɛlə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Quell" or "Quelle"?
"Quelle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,267 in our German list, against #31,230 for "Quell". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Quell vs Quelle

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 “Quell” 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