Which to use
“spülen” and “spült” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,072
- “spülen” frequency rank
- #34,379
- “spült” frequency rank
- 52451
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spülen | spült |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas mit Wasser oder anderer Flüssigkeit waschen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs spülen |
Where the eye mixes spülen and spült
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. spülen runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against spült's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: spülen vs spült
A purely visual mix-up. spülen ([ˈʃpyːlən]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52451, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spülen is recorded at frequency rank #18,072, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpyːlən]. 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 52451, this pair ranks #1,096,401 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of spülen vs spült
Shared letters: lpsü. Private to "spülen": en. Private to "spült": t.
"spülen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "spült" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "spülen" and "spült" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "spülen" or "spült" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "spülen" 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 #1,096,401 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spülen" and "spült" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "skull vs spült". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,096,401 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.