Which to use
“spiegeln” and “spielen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,792
- “spiegeln” frequency rank
- #341
- “spielen” frequency rank
- 13133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spiegeln | spielen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Bild von etwas oder jemandem in einem geeigneten Medium zurückgeben | einer zwanglosen komplexen Betätigung nachgehen, bei der der Lustgewinn im Vordergrund steht |
Where the eye mixes spiegeln and spielen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between spiegeln and spielen
A purely visual mix-up. spiegeln ([ˈʃpiːɡl̩n]) and spielen ([ˈʃpiːlən]) 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 13133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spiegeln is recorded at frequency rank #12,792, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpiːɡl̩n]. spielen is at rank #341, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpiːlən].
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 13133, this pair ranks #1,959,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of spiegeln vs spielen
Shared letters: eilnps. Private to "spiegeln": g. Private to "spielen": -.
"spiegeln" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC · "spielen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spiegeln" and "spielen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "spiegeln" or "spielen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "spiegeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spielen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,959,904 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spiegeln" and "spielen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "spiegeln vs spiegelte". 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 #1,959,904 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.