Which to use
“speech” and “speed” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,175
- “speech” frequency rank
- #7,818
- “speed” frequency rank
- 33993
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | speech | speed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sprache (im Sinne von Fähigkeit zu sprechen) | Verhältnis von zurückgelegter Strecke zur dafür benötigten Zeit; Geschwindigkeit |
Where the eye mixes speech and speed
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: speech vs speed
A purely visual mix-up. speech ([spiːt͡ʃ]) and speed ([spiːd]) 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 33993, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
speech is recorded at frequency rank #26,175, classified as anoun, pronounced [spiːt͡ʃ]. speed is at rank #7,818, tagged as anoun, pronounced [spiːd].
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 33993, this pair ranks #1,673,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of speech vs speed
Shared letters: eps. Private to "speech": ch. Private to "speed": d.
"speech" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC · "speed" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "speech" for "speed" ever safe?
Which is more common, "speech" or "speed"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "speech" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "speed" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,673,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "speech" and "speed" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Specht vs speech". 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 #1,673,451 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.