SpassvsStussWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#524
“Spass” frequency rank
#42,853
“Stuss” frequency rank
43377
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Spass Stuss
Definition Spaß etwas, das (ärgerlicherweise) unsinnig geäußert oder getan wurde; etwas Unsinniges, Sinnloses, Törichtes

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Spass and Stuss apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Spass
5 ch
Stuss

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Spass ([ʃpaːs]) and Stuss ([ʃtʊs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Spass is recorded at frequency rank #524, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpaːs]. Stuss is at rank #42,853, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʊs].

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 43377, this pair ranks #1,420,040 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Spass vs Stuss

Shared letters: s. Private to "Spass": ap. Private to "Stuss": tu.

"Spass" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Stuss" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Spasspsass · sapss · spas · spaß · sppass · spsas · sspass
  • Stusssstuss · stsus · sttuss · stus · stuß · sutss · tsuss

Frequency comparison

Spass#524
Stuss#42,853

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Spass" and "Stuss" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃpaːs] versus [ʃtʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Spass" or "Stuss"?
"Spass" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #524 in our German list, against #42,853 for "Stuss". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Spass vs Stuss

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Spass” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list