SpatzvsSpitzeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#27,947
“Spatz” frequency rank
#1,570
“Spitze” frequency rank
29517
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Spatz Spitze
Definition der Sperling (Passer), ein körnerfressender Singvogel, speziell der Haussperling der oberste, schmal zulaufende Teil eines Gegenstandes oder einer Formation

Where the eye mixes Spatz and Spitze

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Spatz
6 ch
Spitze

Visual trap between Spatz and Spitze

A purely visual mix-up. Spatz ([ʃpat͡s]) and Spitze ([ˈʃpɪt͡sə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29517, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Spatz is recorded at frequency rank #27,947, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpat͡s]. Spitze is at rank #1,570, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɪt͡sə].

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 29517, this pair ranks #1,765,318 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Spatz vs Spitze

Shared letters: pstz. Private to "Spatz": a. Private to "Spitze": ei.

"Spatz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Spitze" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Spatzpsatz · saptz · spattz · spatzz · spazt · sppatz · sptaz · sspatz
  • Spitzepsitze · siptze · spitez · spittze · spitzze · spizte · sppitze · sptize

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Spatz" and "Spitze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃpat͡s] versus [ˈʃpɪt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Spatz" vs "Spitze" - which ranks higher?
"Spitze" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,570 in our German list, against #27,947 for "Spatz". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Spatz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Spitze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,765,318 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Spatz" and "Spitze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Späth vs Spatz". 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 #1,765,318 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