Which to use
“spare” is a verb and “Sperre” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,136
- “spare” frequency rank
- #10,943
- “Sperre” frequency rank
- 28079
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spare | Sperre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sparen | ein Bauwerk, das den freien Verkehr einschränkt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spare and Sperre 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: spare is [ˈʃpaːʁə] while Sperre is [ˈʃpɛʁə]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28079, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spare is recorded at frequency rank #17,136, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpaːʁə]. Sperre is at rank #10,943, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɛʁə].
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 28079, this pair ranks #1,790,905 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of spare vs Sperre
Shared letters: eprs. Private to "spare": a. Private to "Sperre": -.
"spare" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Sperre" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spare" and "Sperre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "spare" or "Sperre"?
Remembering spare vs Sperre
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “spare”; for a noun, it's “Sperre”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “spare” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable