StaatsanwaltvsStaatsanwälteTell them apart

Which to use

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

#6,473
“Staatsanwalt” frequency rank
#26,179
“Staatsanwälte” frequency rank
32652
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Staatsanwalt Staatsanwälte
Definition Beamter einer Staatsanwaltschaft und als solcher ein Organ der Rechtspflege Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Staatsanwalt

Where the eye mixes Staatsanwalt and Staatsanwälte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence. Staatsanwalt runs 12 letters (CCVVCCVCCVCC) against Staatsanwälte's 13 (CCVVCCVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

12 ch
Staatsanwalt
13 ch
Staatsanwälte

Why the eye confuses Staatsanwalt with Staatsanwälte

A purely visual mix-up. Staatsanwalt ([ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvalt]) and Staatsanwälte ([ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltə]) 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 32652, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Staatsanwalt is recorded at frequency rank #6,473, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvalt]. Staatsanwälte is at rank #26,179, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltə].

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 32652, this pair ranks #1,703,005 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Staatsanwalt vs Staatsanwälte

Shared letters: alnstw. Private to "Staatsanwalt": -. Private to "Staatsanwälte": eä.

"Staatsanwalt" · 12 letters · shape CCVVCCVCCVCC  ·  "Staatsanwälte" · 13 letters · shape CCVVCCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Staatsanwalt ← satatsanwalt · sstaatsanwalt · staastanwalt · staatasnwalt · staatsanawlt · staatsannwalt · staatsanwallt · staatsanwaltt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Staatsanwalt" and "Staatsanwälte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvalt] versus [ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Staatsanwalt" vs "Staatsanwälte" - which ranks higher?
"Staatsanwalt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,473 in our German list, against #26,179 for "Staatsanwälte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "Staatsanwalt" and "Staatsanwälte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Staatsanwalt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Staatsanwälte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,703,005 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Staatsanwalt" and "Staatsanwälte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Staatsanwälte vs Staatsanwältin". 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 #1,703,005 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