SpielvsSpitalWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#303
“Spiel” frequency rank
#13,487
“Spital” frequency rank
13790
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Spiel Spital
Definition Tätigkeit ohne Zweck und aus Freude Gebäude oder Gebäudekomplex, in dem Kranke behandelt oder beherbergt werden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Spiel and Spital apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Spiel
6 ch
Spital

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Spiel ([ʃpiːl]) and Spital ([ʃpiˈtaːl]) 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 13790, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Spiel is recorded at frequency rank #303, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiːl]. Spital is at rank #13,487, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiˈtaːl].

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 13790, this pair ranks #1,955,687 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Spiel vs Spital

Shared letters: ilps. Private to "Spiel": e. Private to "Spital": at.

"Spiel" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC  ·  "Spital" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Spielpsiel · sipel · speil · spiell · spile · sppiel · sspiel
  • Spitalpsital · siptal · spiatl · spitall · spitla · spittal · sppital · sptial

Frequency comparison

Spiel#303
Spital#13,487

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Spiel" and "Spital" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃpiːl] versus [ʃpiˈtaːl]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Spiel" or "Spital"?
"Spiel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #303 in our German list, against #13,487 for "Spital". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Spiel vs Spital

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 “Spiel” 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