spicevsSpioneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“spice” and “Spione” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#32,775
“spice” frequency rank
#24,932
“Spione” frequency rank
57707
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature spice Spione
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 Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Spion

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spice and Spione apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
spice
6 ch
Spione

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. spice ([spaɪs]) and Spione ([ʃpiˈoːnə]) 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 57707, 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]. Spione is at rank #24,932, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiˈoːnə].

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 57707, this pair ranks #890,809 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of spice vs Spione

Shared letters: eips. Private to "spice": c. Private to "Spione": no.

"spice" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "Spione" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • spicepsice · sipce · spcie · spicce · spiec · sppice · sspice
  • Spionepsione · sipone · spinoe · spioen · spionne · spoine · sppione · sspione

Frequency comparison

spice#32,775
Spione#24,932

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "spice" and "Spione" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([spaɪs] versus [ʃpiˈoːnə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "spice" or "Spione"?
"Spione" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,932 in our German list, against #32,775 for "spice". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering spice vs Spione

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “spice” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list