Which to use
“sorte” is a noun and “state” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,471
- “sorte” frequency rank
- #7,114
- “state” frequency rank
- 13585
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sorte | state |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schicksal n | auf den Staat bezogen: staatlich |
Where the eye mixes sorte and state
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. sorte (CVCCV) and state (CCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses sorte with state
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sorte is [ˈsɔrte] while state is [steit]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13585, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sorte is recorded at frequency rank #6,471, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈsɔrte]. state is at rank #7,114, tagged as anadj, pronounced [steit].
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 13585, this pair ranks #1,957,038 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sorte vs state
Shared letters: est. Private to "sorte": or. Private to "state": a.
"sorte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "state" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sorte" and "state" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "sorte" or "state" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "sorte" and "state" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sorte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "state" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,957,038 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sorte" and "state" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkte vs state". 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 #1,957,038 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.