Which to use
“spice” and “Spion” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,775
- “spice” frequency rank
- #18,070
- “Spion” frequency rank
- 50845
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spice | Spion |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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 | ein heimlicher, unerkannter Beobachter, der die gegnerische Seite auszukunden hat |
Where the eye mixes spice and Spion
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. spice (CCVCV) and Spion (CCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between spice and Spion
A purely visual mix-up. spice ([spaɪs]) and Spion ([ʃpiˈoːn]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50845, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spice is recorded at frequency rank #32,775, classified as anoun, pronounced [spaɪs]. Spion is at rank #18,070, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiˈoːn].
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 50845, this pair ranks #1,158,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of spice vs Spion
Shared letters: ips. Private to "spice": ce. Private to "Spion": no.
"spice" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Spion" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "spice" for "Spion" ever safe?
Frequency check: "spice" vs "Spion" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "spice" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spion" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,158,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spice" and "Spion" 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 #1,158,198 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.