Which to use
“Speise” and “spice” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,931
- “Speise” frequency rank
- #32,775
- “spice” frequency rank
- 57706
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Speise | spice |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mahlzeit, zubereitetes Gericht | Teile von Pflanzen, die wegen ihres natürlichen Gehaltes an Geschmacks- und Geruchsstoffen als würzende oder geschmacksgebende Zutaten bei der Zubereitung von Speisen und Getränken aller Art eingesetzt werden |
Where the eye mixes Speise and spice
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Speise with spice
A purely visual mix-up. Speise ([ˈʃpaɪ̯zə]) and spice ([spaɪs]) 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 57706, 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]. spice is at rank #32,775, tagged as anoun, pronounced [spaɪs].
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 57706, this pair ranks #890,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Speise vs spice
Shared letters: eips. Private to "Speise": -. Private to "spice": c.
"Speise" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "spice" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Speise" and "spice" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Speise" or "spice"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Speise" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spice" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #890,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Speise" and "spice" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sire vs spice". 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 #890,835 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.