spätevsspitzWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,757
“späte” frequency rank
#13,699
“spitz” frequency rank
25456
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature späte spitz
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs spät schmaler und dünner werdend und in einem Punkt endend; in einer Spitze endend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set späte and spitz apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
späte
5 ch
spitz

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. späte ([ˈʃpɛːtə]) and spitz ([ʃpɪt͡s]) 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 25456, 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]. spitz is at rank #13,699, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃpɪt͡s].

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 25456, this pair ranks #1,833,003 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of späte vs spitz

Shared letters: pst. Private to "späte": . Private to "spitz": iz.

"späte" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "spitz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • spitzpsitz · siptz · spittz · spitzz · spizt · sppitz · sptiz · sspitz

Frequency comparison

späte#11,757
spitz#13,699

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "späte" and "spitz" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃpɛːtə] versus [ʃpɪt͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "späte" or "spitz"?
"späte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,757 in our German list, against #13,699 for "spitz". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering späte vs spitz

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list