Which to use
“spitz” is an adjective and “Spitzel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,699
- “spitz” frequency rank
- #30,776
- “Spitzel” frequency rank
- 44475
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spitz | Spitzel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schmaler und dünner werdend und in einem Punkt endend; in einer Spitze endend | jemand, der in fremdem Auftrag insgeheim herumspioniert |
Where the eye mixes spitz and Spitzel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: spitz vs Spitzel
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: spitz is [ʃpɪt͡s] while Spitzel is [ˈʃpɪt͡sl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “spitz” sits inside “Spitzel”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44475, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spitz is recorded at frequency rank #13,699, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃpɪt͡s]. Spitzel is at rank #30,776, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɪt͡sl̩].
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 44475, this pair ranks #1,385,007 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of spitz vs Spitzel
Shared letters: ipstz. Private to "spitz": -. Private to "Spitzel": el.
"spitz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "Spitzel" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "spitz" for "Spitzel" ever safe?
Frequency check: "spitz" vs "Spitzel" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "spitz" and "Spitzel" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "spitz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spitzel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,385,007 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spitz" and "Spitzel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spitzel vs Spritzer". 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 #1,385,007 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.