Which to use
“Spässe” and “Suisse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,242
- “Spässe” frequency rank
- #13,703
- “Suisse” frequency rank
- 57945
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spässe | Suisse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Spass | f Geografie, Politik Schweiz |
Where the eye mixes Spässe and Suisse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Spässe (CCVCCV) and Suisse (CVVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Spässe with Suisse
A purely visual mix-up. Spässe ([ˈʃpɛːsə]) and Suisse ([sɥis]) 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 57945, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spässe is recorded at frequency rank #44,242, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɛːsə]. Suisse is at rank #13,703, tagged as anoun, pronounced [sɥis].
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 57945, this pair ranks #881,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Spässe vs Suisse
Shared letters: es. Private to "Spässe": pä. Private to "Suisse": iu.
"Spässe" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "Suisse" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Suisse ← siusse · ssuisse · suise · suises · suiße · susise · usisse
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spässe" for "Suisse" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Spässe" or "Suisse"?
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 "Spässe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Suisse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #881,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spässe" and "Suisse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sparst vs Spässe". 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 #881,713 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.