Which to use
“series” and “spies” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,018
- “series” frequency rank
- #43,504
- “spies” frequency rank
- 56522
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | series | spies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Konditional Aktiv des Verbs ésser | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs speisen |
Where the eye mixes series and spies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. series runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against spies's 5 (CCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses series with spies
A purely visual mix-up. series ([səˈɾiəs]) and spies ([ʃpiːs]) 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 56522, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
series is recorded at frequency rank #13,018, classified as averb, pronounced [səˈɾiəs]. spies is at rank #43,504, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃpiːs].
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 56522, this pair ranks #936,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of series vs spies
Shared letters: eis. Private to "series": r. Private to "spies": p.
"series" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "spies" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "series" and "spies" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "series" or "spies" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "series" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #936,921 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "series" and "spies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Skier vs spies". 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 #936,921 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.