sprangvssprengtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,532
“sprang” frequency rank
#23,715
“sprengt” frequency rank
31247
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sprang sprengt
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs springen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sprengen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sprang and sprengt apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
sprang
7 ch
sprengt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sprang ([ʃpʁaŋ]) and sprengt ([ʃpʁɛŋt]) 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 31247, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sprang is recorded at frequency rank #7,532, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃpʁaŋ]. sprengt is at rank #23,715, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃpʁɛŋt].

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 31247, this pair ranks #1,731,912 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sprang vs sprengt

Shared letters: gnprs. Private to "sprang": a. Private to "sprengt": et.

"sprang" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "sprengt" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sprangpsrang · sparng · spprang · spragn · sprangg · spranng · sprnag · sprrang
  • sprengtpsrengt · sperngt · spprengt · spregnt · sprenggt · sprengtt · sprenngt · sprentg

Frequency comparison

sprang#7,532
sprengt#23,715

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sprang" and "sprengt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃpʁaŋ] versus [ʃpʁɛŋt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sprang" or "sprengt"?
"sprang" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,532 in our German list, against #23,715 for "sprengt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sprang vs sprengt

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 “sprang” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list