Which to use
“Spaten” and “Spesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,063
- “Spaten” frequency rank
- #36,028
- “Spesen” frequency rank
- 63091
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spaten | Spesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schaufelähnliches Werkzeug zum Umgraben der Erde | Kosten, die in Ausübung einer beruflichen oder geschäftlichen Tätigkeit entstanden sind |
Where the eye mixes Spaten and Spesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Spaten vs Spesen
A purely visual mix-up. Spaten ([ˈʃpaːtn̩]) and Spesen ([ˈʃpeːzn̩]) 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 63091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spaten is recorded at frequency rank #27,063, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpaːtn̩]. Spesen is at rank #36,028, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpeːzn̩].
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 63091, this pair ranks #689,126 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Spaten vs Spesen
Shared letters: enps. Private to "Spaten": at. Private to "Spesen": -.
"Spaten" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "Spesen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spaten" for "Spesen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Spaten" vs "Spesen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spaten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spesen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #689,126 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spaten" and "Spesen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spesen vs Stelen". 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 #689,126 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.