Which to use
“spenden” is a verb and “Spesen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,154
- “spenden” frequency rank
- #36,028
- “Spesen” frequency rank
- 39182
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spenden | Spesen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas für einen guten Zweck verschenken, eine Spende geben, positive Gefühle und Wertung austeilen | Kosten, die in Ausübung einer beruflichen oder geschäftlichen Tätigkeit entstanden sind |
Where the eye mixes spenden and Spesen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. spenden runs 7 letters (CCVCCVC) against Spesen's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between spenden and Spesen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: spenden is [ˈʃpɛndn̩] while Spesen is [ˈʃpeːzn̩]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39182, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spenden is recorded at frequency rank #3,154, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpɛndn̩]. 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 39182, this pair ranks #1,543,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of spenden vs Spesen
Shared letters: enps. Private to "spenden": d. Private to "Spesen": -.
"spenden" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "Spesen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spenden" and "Spesen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "spenden" or "Spesen" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "spenden" 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 #1,543,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spenden" 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 #1,543,835 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.