spielstvsspielteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,981
“spielst” frequency rank
#1,825
“spielte” frequency rank
11806
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature spielst spielte
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs spielen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs spielen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spielst and spielte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
spielst
7 ch
spielte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. spielst ([ʃpiːlst]) and spielte ([ˈʃpiːltə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

spielst is recorded at frequency rank #9,981, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃpiːlst]. spielte is at rank #1,825, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpiːltə].

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 11806, this pair ranks #1,967,793 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of spielst vs spielte

Shared letters: eilpst. Private to "spielst": -. Private to "spielte": -.

"spielst" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCC  ·  "spielte" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • spielstpsielst · sipelst · speilst · spiellst · spielsst · spielstt · spielts · spieslt
  • spieltepsielte · sipelte · speilte · spielet · spiellte · spieltte · spietle · spilete

Frequency comparison

spielst#9,981
spielte#1,825

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "spielst" and "spielte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃpiːlst] versus [ˈʃpiːltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "spielst" or "spielte"?
"spielte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,825 in our German list, against #9,981 for "spielst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering spielst vs spielte

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 “spielst” 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