Which to use
“spalten” is a verb and “späte” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,567
- “spalten” frequency rank
- #11,757
- “späte” frequency rank
- 22324
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spalten | späte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit einem Instrument der Länge nach teilen | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs spät |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spalten and späte apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: spalten is [ˈʃpaltn̩] while späte is [ˈʃpɛːtə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22324, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spalten is recorded at frequency rank #10,567, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpaltn̩]. späte is at rank #11,757, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃpɛːtə].
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 22324, this pair ranks #1,875,547 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of spalten vs späte
Shared letters: epst. Private to "spalten": aln. Private to "späte": ä.
"spalten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "späte" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- spalten ← psalten · saplten · spaletn · spallten · spaltenn · spaltne · spaltten · spatlen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spalten" and "späte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "spalten" or "späte"?
Remembering spalten vs späte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “spalten”; for an adjective, it's “späte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “spalten” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable