Which to use
“saufen” and “spüren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,622
- “saufen” frequency rank
- #3,400
- “spüren” frequency rank
- 13022
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | saufen | spüren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | trinken | etwas körperlich, mit dem Tastsinn wahrnehmen |
Where the eye mixes saufen and spüren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: saufen vs spüren
A purely visual mix-up. saufen ([ˈzaʊ̯fn̩]) and spüren ([ˈʃpyːʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
saufen is recorded at frequency rank #9,622, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzaʊ̯fn̩]. spüren is at rank #3,400, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpyːʁən].
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 13022, this pair ranks #1,960,596 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of saufen vs spüren
Shared letters: ens. Private to "saufen": afu. Private to "spüren": prü.
"saufen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "spüren" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- saufen ← asufen · safuen · sauefn · saufenn · sauffen · saufne · ssaufen · suafen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "saufen" for "spüren" ever safe?
Which is more common, "saufen" or "spüren"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "saufen" and "spüren" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "saufen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spüren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,596 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "saufen" and "spüren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "saufen vs Stuten". 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 #1,960,596 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.