Which to use
“Speise” and “Spesen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,931
- “Speise” frequency rank
- #36,028
- “Spesen” frequency rank
- 60959
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Speise | Spesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mahlzeit, zubereitetes Gericht | Kosten, die in Ausübung einer beruflichen oder geschäftlichen Tätigkeit entstanden sind |
Where the eye mixes Speise and Spesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Speise (CCVVCV) and Spesen (CCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Speise vs Spesen
A purely visual mix-up. Speise ([ˈʃpaɪ̯zə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Speise is recorded at frequency rank #24,931, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpaɪ̯zə]. 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 60959, this pair ranks #767,554 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Speise vs Spesen
Shared letters: eps. Private to "Speise": i. Private to "Spesen": n.
"Speise" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "Spesen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Speise" and "Spesen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Speise" vs "Spesen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Speise" 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 #767,554 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Speise" 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 #767,554 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.