Which to use
“späte” and “spätere” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,757
- “späte” frequency rank
- #5,314
- “spätere” frequency rank
- 17071
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | späte | spätere |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs spät | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Komparativs des Adjektivs spät |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set späte and spätere apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. späte ([ˈʃpɛːtə]) and spätere ([ˈʃpɛːtəʁə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “späte” sits inside “spätere”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17071, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
späte is recorded at frequency rank #11,757, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃpɛːtə]. spätere is at rank #5,314, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃpɛːtəʁə].
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 17071, this pair ranks #1,930,605 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of späte vs spätere
Shared letters: epstä. Private to "späte": -. Private to "spätere": r.
"späte" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "spätere" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "späte" and "spätere" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "späte" or "spätere"?
Remembering späte vs spätere
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “späte” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable