Which to use
“sparst” and “sperrt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,008
- “sparst” frequency rank
- #16,002
- “sperrt” frequency rank
- 63010
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sparst | sperrt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sparen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sperren |
Where the eye mixes sparst and sperrt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sparst with sperrt
A purely visual mix-up. sparst ([ʃpaːɐ̯st]) and sperrt ([ʃpɛʁt]) 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 63010, 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]. sperrt is at rank #16,002, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃpɛʁt].
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 63010, this pair ranks #692,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sparst vs sperrt
Shared letters: prst. Private to "sparst": a. Private to "sperrt": e.
"sparst" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC · "sperrt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sparst" for "sperrt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "sparst" or "sperrt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sparst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sperrt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #692,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sparst" and "sperrt" 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 #692,050 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.