Which to use
“sign” and “Spion” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,142
- “sign” frequency rank
- #18,070
- “Spion” frequency rank
- 40212
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sign | Spion |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zeichen, Geste | ein heimlicher, unerkannter Beobachter, der die gegnerische Seite auszukunden hat |
Where the eye mixes sign and Spion
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sign with Spion
A purely visual mix-up. sign ([saɪn]) and Spion ([ʃpiˈoːn]) 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 40212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sign is recorded at frequency rank #22,142, classified as anoun, pronounced [saɪn]. Spion is at rank #18,070, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiˈoːn].
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 40212, this pair ranks #1,514,968 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sign vs Spion
Shared letters: ins. Private to "sign": g. Private to "Spion": op.
"sign" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Spion" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sign" and "Spion" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sign" vs "Spion" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sign" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spion" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,514,968 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sign" and "Spion" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seg vs sign". 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 #1,514,968 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.