segeltevsspielteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#42,800
“segelte” frequency rank
#1,825
“spielte” frequency rank
44625
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature segelte spielte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs segeln 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs spielen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
segelte
7 ch
spielte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. segelte ([ˈzeːɡl̩tə]) and spielte ([ˈʃpiːltə]) 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 44625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

segelte is recorded at frequency rank #42,800, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzeːɡl̩tə]. spielte is at rank #1,825, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpiːltə].

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 44625, this pair ranks #1,380,105 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of segelte vs spielte

Shared letters: elst. Private to "segelte": g. Private to "spielte": ip.

"segelte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "spielte" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • segelteesgelte · seeglte · segelet · segellte · segeltte · segetle · seggelte · seglete
  • spieltepsielte · sipelte · speilte · spielet · spiellte · spieltte · spietle · spilete

Frequency comparison

segelte#42,800
spielte#1,825

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "segelte" and "spielte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzeːɡl̩tə] versus [ˈʃpiːltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "segelte" or "spielte"?
"spielte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,825 in our German list, against #42,800 for "segelte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering segelte vs spielte

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 “segelte” 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