Which to use
“späte” is an adjective and “Stäbe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,757
- “späte” frequency rank
- #35,472
- “Stäbe” frequency rank
- 47229
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | späte | Stäbe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs spät | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stab |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set späte and Stäbe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: späte is [ˈʃpɛːtə] while Stäbe is [ˈʃtɛːbə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47229, 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]. Stäbe is at rank #35,472, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛːbə].
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 47229, this pair ranks #1,291,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of späte vs Stäbe
Shared letters: estä. Private to "späte": p. Private to "Stäbe": b.
"späte" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Stäbe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "späte" and "Stäbe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "späte" or "Stäbe"?
Remembering späte vs Stäbe
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “späte”; for a noun, it's “Stäbe”.
- 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