spaltenvsspätesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: spalten is a verb, spätes is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“spalten” is a verb and “spätes” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,567
“spalten” frequency rank
#42,144
“spätes” frequency rank
52711
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature spalten spätes
Definition mit einem Instrument der Länge nach teilen Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs spät

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spalten and spätes apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
spalten
6 ch
spätes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: spalten is [ˈʃpaltn̩] while spätes is [ˈʃpɛːtəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 52711, 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]. spätes is at rank #42,144, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃpɛːtəs].

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 52711, this pair ranks #1,086,237 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of spalten vs spätes

Shared letters: epst. Private to "spalten": aln. Private to "spätes": ä.

"spalten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "spätes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • spaltenpsalten · saplten · spaletn · spallten · spaltenn · spaltne · spaltten · spatlen

Frequency comparison

spalten#10,567
spätes#42,144

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "spalten" and "spätes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "spalten" is a verb and "spätes" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "spalten" or "spätes"?
"spalten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,567 in our German list, against #42,144 for "spätes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering spalten vs spätes

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 “spätes”.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list