vocalvsVokaleWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,942
“vocal” frequency rank
#31,867
“Vokale” frequency rank
72809
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vocal Vokale
Definition der Vokal, der Selbstlaut Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Vokal

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vocal and Vokale apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
vocal
6 ch
Vokale

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vocal ([buˈkaɫ]) and Vokale ([voˈkaːlə]) 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 72809, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vocal is recorded at frequency rank #40,942, classified as anoun, pronounced [buˈkaɫ]. Vokale is at rank #31,867, tagged as anoun, pronounced [voˈkaːlə].

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 72809, this pair ranks #377,970 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of vocal vs Vokale

Shared letters: alov. Private to "vocal": c. Private to "Vokale": ek.

"vocal" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Vokale" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vocalovcal · vcoal · voacl · vocall · voccal · vocla · vvocal
  • Vokaleovkale · vkoale · voakle · vokael · vokalle · vokkale · voklae · vvokale

Frequency comparison

vocal#40,942
Vokale#31,867

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vocal" and "Vokale" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([buˈkaɫ] versus [voˈkaːlə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vocal" or "Vokale"?
"Vokale" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,867 in our German list, against #40,942 for "vocal". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vocal vs Vokale

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 “vocal” 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