Which to use
“spielen” is a verb and “Spielerin” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #341
- “spielen” frequency rank
- #23,317
- “Spielerin” frequency rank
- 23658
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spielen | Spielerin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einer zwanglosen komplexen Betätigung nachgehen, bei der der Lustgewinn im Vordergrund steht | weibliche Person, die in einem Ballsport gegen jemand anderen oder eine andere Mannschaft antritt; des Weiteren eine Frau, die an einem Brett-, Würfel, Kartenspiel oder einem ähnlichen Gesellschaftsspiel teilnimmt. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spielen and Spielerin apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
spielen and Spielerin form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23658, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spielen is recorded at frequency rank #341, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpiːlən]. Spielerin is at rank #23,317, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpiːləʁɪn].
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 23658, this pair ranks #1,858,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spielen" and "Spielerin" be used interchangeably?
Remembering spielen vs Spielerin
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “spielen”; for a noun, it's “Spielerin”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “spielen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable