sprangvsspringsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sprang is a verb, springs is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sprang” is a verb and “springs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,532
“sprang” frequency rank
#26,178
“springs” frequency rank
33710
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sprang springs
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs springen Plural des Substantivs spring

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
sprang
7 ch
springs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: sprang is averb and springsanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33710, 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]. springs is at rank #26,178, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 33710, this pair ranks #1,679,763 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sprang vs springs

Shared letters: gnprs. Private to "sprang": a. Private to "springs": i.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sprangpsrang · sparng · spprang · spragn · sprangg · spranng · sprnag · sprrang
  • springspsrings · spirngs · spprings · sprigns · springgs · springss · sprinngs · sprinsg

Frequency comparison

sprang#7,532
springs#26,178

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sprang" and "springs" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sprang" is a verb and "springs" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sprang" or "springs"?
"sprang" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,532 in our German list, against #26,178 for "springs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sprang vs springs

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sprang”; for a noun, it's “springs”.
  • 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