Which to use
“Sperre” is a noun and “Spree” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,943
- “Sperre” frequency rank
- #12,175
- “Spree” frequency rank
- 23118
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sperre | Spree |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Bauwerk, das den freien Verkehr einschränkt | ein Fluss in Deutschland |
Where the eye mixes Sperre and Spree
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Sperre and Spree
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Sperre is [ˈʃpɛʁə] while Spree is [ˈʃpʁeː]. 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 (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23118, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sperre is recorded at frequency rank #10,943, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃpɛʁə]. Spree is at rank #12,175, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈʃpʁeː].
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 23118, this pair ranks #1,865,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Sperre vs Spree
Shared letters: eprs. Private to "Sperre": -. Private to "Spree": -.
"Sperre" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "Spree" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Sperre" for "Spree" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Sperre" vs "Spree" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Sperre" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spree" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,865,557 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sperre" and "Spree" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sire vs Spree". 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 #1,865,557 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.