sparstvsspeistConfusable pair

Which to use

“sparst” and “speist” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#47,008
“sparst” frequency rank
#31,798
“speist” frequency rank
78806
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sparst speist
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sparen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs speisen

Where the eye mixes sparst and speist

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sparst (CCVCCC) and speist (CCVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
sparst
6 ch
speist

Look-alike desk: sparst vs speist

A purely visual mix-up. sparst ([ʃpaːɐ̯st]) and speist ([ʃpaɪ̯st]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sparst is recorded at frequency rank #47,008, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃpaːɐ̯st]. speist is at rank #31,798, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃpaɪ̯st].

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 78806, this pair ranks #230,156 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sparst vs speist

Shared letters: pst. Private to "sparst": ar. Private to "speist": ei.

"sparst" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC  ·  "speist" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sparst ← psarst · saprst · sparrst · sparsst · sparstt · sparts · spasrt · spparst
  • speist ← pseist · sepist · speisst · speistt · speits · spesit · spiest · sppeist

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sparst" and "speist" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃpaːɐ̯st] versus [ʃpaɪ̯st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "sparst" vs "speist" - which ranks higher?
"speist" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,798 in our German list, against #47,008 for "sparst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "sparst" and "speist" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "sparst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "speist" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #230,156 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sparst" and "speist" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sparks vs sparst". 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 #230,156 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list