spaltenvsStättenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: spalten is a verb, Stätten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#10,567
“spalten” frequency rank
#21,443
“Stätten” frequency rank
32010
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature spalten Stätten
Definition mit einem Instrument der Länge nach teilen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stätte

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
spalten
7 ch
Stätten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: spalten is [ˈʃpaltn̩] while Stätten is [ˈʃtɛtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32010, 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]. Stätten is at rank #21,443, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛtn̩].

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 32010, this pair ranks #1,716,624 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of spalten vs Stätten

Shared letters: enst. Private to "spalten": alp. Private to "Stätten": ä.

"spalten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "Stätten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

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

Frequency comparison

spalten#10,567
Stätten#21,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "spalten" and "Stätten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "spalten" is a verb and "Stätten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "spalten" or "Stätten"?
"spalten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,567 in our German list, against #21,443 for "Stätten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering spalten vs Stätten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “spalten”; for a noun, it's “Stätten”.
  • 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