Which to use
“Speer” and “Spesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,217
- “Speer” frequency rank
- #36,028
- “Spesen” frequency rank
- 51245
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Speer | Spesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Waffe zum Werfen und Stechen, bestehend aus einer Stange mit einer Spitze (meist aus Metall oder Stein) an einem Ende; leichter als die nur zum Stechen bestimmte Lanze | Kosten, die in Ausübung einer beruflichen oder geschäftlichen Tätigkeit entstanden sind |
Where the eye mixes Speer and Spesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Speer runs 5 letters (CCVVC) against Spesen's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Speer vs Spesen
A purely visual mix-up. Speer ([ʃpeːɐ̯]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Speer is recorded at frequency rank #15,217, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpeːɐ̯]. 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 51245, this pair ranks #1,142,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Speer vs Spesen
Shared letters: eps. Private to "Speer": r. Private to "Spesen": n.
"Speer" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Spesen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Speer" and "Spesen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Speer" or "Spesen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Speer" 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 #1,142,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Speer" 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 #1,142,904 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.