Which to use
“seven” is a num and “Spesen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,825
- “seven” frequency rank
- #36,028
- “Spesen” frequency rank
- 52853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seven | Spesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sieben | Kosten, die in Ausübung einer beruflichen oder geschäftlichen Tätigkeit entstanden sind |
Where the eye mixes seven and Spesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. seven runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against Spesen's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses seven with Spesen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: seven is [ˈsɛv.ən] while Spesen is [ˈʃpeːzn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seven is recorded at frequency rank #16,825, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈsɛv.ən]. Spesen is at rank #36,028, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpeːzn̩].
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 52853, this pair ranks #1,080,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of seven vs Spesen
Shared letters: ens. Private to "seven": v. Private to "Spesen": p.
"seven" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Spesen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "seven" for "Spesen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "seven" vs "Spesen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "seven" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,080,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "seven" and "Spesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spesen vs Stelen". 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 #1,080,750 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.