Which to use
“Speer” and “Spreu” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,217
- “Speer” frequency rank
- #44,931
- “Spreu” frequency rank
- 60148
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Speer | Spreu |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Dreschabfälle des Getreides aus Spelzen, Grannen und entkörnten Ährchen, die als Viehfutter verwendet werden |
Where the eye mixes Speer and Spreu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Speer (CCVVC) and Spreu (CCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Speer and Spreu
A purely visual mix-up. Speer ([ʃpeːɐ̯]) and Spreu ([ʃpʁɔɪ̯]) 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 60148, 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]. Spreu is at rank #44,931, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpʁɔɪ̯].
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 60148, this pair ranks #797,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Speer vs Spreu
Shared letters: eprs. Private to "Speer": -. Private to "Spreu": u.
"Speer" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Spreu" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Speer" for "Spreu" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Speer" or "Spreu"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Speer" and "Spreu" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Speer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spreu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #797,734 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Speer" and "Spreu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sire vs Spreu". 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 #797,734 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.