Which to use
“solle” and “sollte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,857
- “solle” frequency rank
- #163
- “sollte” frequency rank
- 3020
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | solle | sollte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sollen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sollen |
Where the eye mixes solle and sollte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses solle with sollte
A purely visual mix-up. solle ([ˈzɔlə]) and sollte ([ˈzɔltə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3020, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
solle is recorded at frequency rank #2,857, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzɔlə]. sollte is at rank #163, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈzɔltə].
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 3020, this pair ranks #2,001,122 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of solle vs sollte
Shared letters: elos. Private to "solle": -. Private to "sollte": t.
"solle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "sollte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "solle" for "sollte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "solle" or "sollte"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "solle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sollte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,122 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "solle" and "sollte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "solle vs Sönke". 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 #2,001,122 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.