SpassvsStrassTell them apart

Which to use

“Spass” and “Strass” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#524
“Spass” frequency rank
#31,283
“Strass” frequency rank
31807
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Spass Strass
Definition Spaß Imitation eines Diamanten aus bleihaltigem Glasfluss mit starker Lichtbrechung

Where the eye mixes Spass and Strass

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Spass
6 ch
Strass

Visual trap between Spass and Strass

A purely visual mix-up. Spass ([ʃpaːs]) and Strass ([ʃtʁas]) 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 31807, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Spass is recorded at frequency rank #524, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpaːs]. Strass is at rank #31,283, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʁas].

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 31807, this pair ranks #1,720,601 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Spass vs Strass

Shared letters: as. Private to "Spass": p. Private to "Strass": rt.

"Spass" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Strass" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Spasspsass · sapss · spas · spaß · sppass · spsas · sspass
  • Strasssrtass · sstrass · straß · strrass · strsas · sttrass · tsrass

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Spass" and "Strass" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃpaːs] versus [ʃtʁas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Spass" vs "Strass" - which ranks higher?
"Spass" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #524 in our German list, against #31,283 for "Strass". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Spass" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Strass" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,720,601 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Spass" and "Strass" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Strass vs stresst". 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 #1,720,601 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list