Which to use
“Sperber” and “Sperre” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,234
- “Sperber” frequency rank
- #10,943
- “Sperre” frequency rank
- 55177
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sperber | Sperre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der kleinste deutsche Greifvogel | ein Bauwerk, das den freien Verkehr einschränkt |
Where the eye mixes Sperber and Sperre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Sperber runs 7 letters (CCVCCVC) against Sperre's 6 (CCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Sperber with Sperre
A purely visual mix-up. Sperber ([ˈʃpɛʁbɐ]) and Sperre ([ˈʃpɛʁə]) 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 55177, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sperber is recorded at frequency rank #44,234, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɛʁbɐ]. Sperre is at rank #10,943, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɛʁə].
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 55177, this pair ranks #989,757 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Sperber vs Sperre
Shared letters: eprs. Private to "Sperber": b. Private to "Sperre": -.
"Sperber" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "Sperre" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Sperber" and "Sperre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Sperber" or "Sperre"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Sperber" and "Sperre" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Sperber" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Sperre" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #989,757 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sperber" and "Sperre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Serbe vs Sperber". 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 #989,757 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.