Which to use
“sieben” is a num and “Spesen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #912
- “sieben” frequency rank
- #36,028
- “Spesen” frequency rank
- 36940
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sieben | Spesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Kardinalzahl zwischen sechs und acht | Kosten, die in Ausübung einer beruflichen oder geschäftlichen Tätigkeit entstanden sind |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sieben and Spesen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sieben is [ˈziːbn̩] while Spesen is [ˈʃpeːzn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36940, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sieben is recorded at frequency rank #912, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈziːbn̩]. 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 36940, this pair ranks #1,602,778 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sieben vs Spesen
Shared letters: ens. Private to "sieben": bi. Private to "Spesen": p.
"sieben" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "Spesen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sieben" and "Spesen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sieben" or "Spesen"?
Remembering sieben vs Spesen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “sieben”; for a noun, it's “Spesen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sieben” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable