Which to use
“spätes” is an adjective and “spies” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,144
- “spätes” frequency rank
- #43,504
- “spies” frequency rank
- 85648
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spätes | spies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs spät | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs speisen |
Where the eye mixes spätes and spies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. spätes runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against spies's 5 (CCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses spätes with spies
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: spätes is [ˈʃpɛːtəs] while spies is [ʃpiːs]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85648, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spätes is recorded at frequency rank #42,144, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃpɛːtəs]. spies is at rank #43,504, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃpiːs].
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 85648, this pair ranks #105,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of spätes vs spies
Shared letters: eps. Private to "spätes": tä. Private to "spies": i.
"spätes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "spies" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- spies ← psies · sipes · speis · spiess · spise · sppies · sspies
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "spätes" for "spies" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "spätes" or "spies" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "spätes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #105,162 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spätes" and "spies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "spätes vs Späth". 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 #105,162 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.