splitvsspültTell them apart

Which to use

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

#19,399
“split” frequency rank
#34,379
“spült” frequency rank
53778
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature split spült
Definition (der Länge nach) in Teile brechen, splittern, sich längs teilen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs spülen

Where the eye mixes split and spült

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
split
5 ch
spült

Why the eye confuses split with spült

A purely visual mix-up. split ([splɪt]) and spült ([ʃpyːlt]) 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 53778, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

split is recorded at frequency rank #19,399, classified as averb, pronounced [splɪt]. spült is at rank #34,379, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃpyːlt].

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 53778, this pair ranks #1,044,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of split vs spült

Shared letters: lpst. Private to "split": i. Private to "spült": ü.

"split" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC  ·  "spült" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • splitpslit · slpit · spilt · splitt · spllit · splti · spplit · ssplit

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "split" and "spült" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([splɪt] versus [ʃpyːlt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "split" or "spült"?
"split" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,399 in our German list, against #34,379 for "spült". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "split" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "spült" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,044,573 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "split" and "spült" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "skull vs spült". 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 #1,044,573 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list