Which to use
“sies” and “spies” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,209
- “sies” frequency rank
- #43,504
- “spies” frequency rank
- 83713
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sies | spies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | archaisch: 2. Person Singular Konjunktiv Präsens Aktiv des Verbs esse | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs speisen |
Letter map: sies vs spies
Shared letters muted; letters that set sies and spies apart highlighted. Shared run: 4. sies runs 4 letters (CVVC) against spies's 5 (CCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Spelling & dictionary notes on sies vs spies
sies and spies are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83713, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sies is recorded at frequency rank #40,209, classified as averb, pronounced […]. 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 83713, this pair ranks #135,387 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sies vs spies
Shared letters: eis. Private to "sies": -. Private to "spies": p.
"sies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "spies" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sies" for "spies" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sies" or "spies"?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "sies" and "spies".
- Full dictionary entry for "sies" 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 #135,387 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sies" and "spies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "puzzles vs sies". 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 #135,387 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.