spalten

[ˈʃpaltn̩]

/[ˈʃpaltn̩]/ verb

The verdict

“spalten” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #10,567 in German word frequency and used as a verb.

#10,567
frequency rank, German
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mit einem Instrument der Länge nach teilen

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

spalten vs späte
57% similar
spalten vs später
57% similar
spalten vs sparen
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for spalten
PropertyValue
Headwordspalten
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʃpaltn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#10,567
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “spalten” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). spalten lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for spalten is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʃpaltn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #10,567 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for spalten, with forms such as "psalten", "saplten", and "spaletn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "späte", "später", "sparen", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is spalten, spelled S-P-A-L-T-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit einem Instrument der Länge nach teilen
  2. 2
    der Länge nach gespalten werden; in zwei Teile auseinanderbrechen
  3. 3
    entzweien, teilen (Gruppe von Personen), eine Einheit auflösen

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: psalten,saplten,spaletn,spallten,spaltenn,spaltne,spaltten,spatlen,splaten,sppalten,sspalten

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of spalten - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

psalten2saplten2spaletn2spallten1spaltenn1spaltne2spaltten1spatlen2
Edit distance from "spalten"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "spalten"?
"spalten" is spelled S-P-A-L-T-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃpaltn̩].
What does "spalten" mean?
As a verb, "spalten" means: mit einem Instrument der Länge nach teilen
What words are commonly confused with "spalten"?
"spalten" is commonly confused with "späte", "später", "sparen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "spalten"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spalten" is [ˈʃpaltn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "spalten" come from?
"spalten" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “spalten”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is S-P-A-L-T-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈʃpaltn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “späte” - see the side-by-side comparison. spalten vs späte
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list