sausenvsspürenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,608
“sausen” frequency rank
#3,400
“spüren” frequency rank
40008
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sausen spüren
Definition ein scharfes Geräusch verursachen, das gleichmäßig an- und abschwillt und an Reibung erinnert etwas körperlich, mit dem Tastsinn wahrnehmen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sausen and spüren apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
sausen
6 ch
spüren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. sausen ([ˈzaʊ̯zn̩]) 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 40008, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sausen is recorded at frequency rank #36,608, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzaʊ̯zn̩]. 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 40008, this pair ranks #1,520,632 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sausen vs spüren

Shared letters: ens. Private to "sausen": au. Private to "spüren": prü.

"sausen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "spüren" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sausenasusen · sasuen · sauesn · sausenn · sausne · saussen · ssausen · suasen

Frequency comparison

sausen#36,608
spüren#3,400

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sausen" and "spüren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈzaʊ̯zn̩] versus [ˈʃpyːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sausen" or "spüren"?
"spüren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,400 in our German list, against #36,608 for "sausen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sausen vs spüren

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 “sausen” 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