Which to use
“Spiel” and “Spreu” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #303
- “Spiel” frequency rank
- #44,931
- “Spreu” frequency rank
- 45234
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spiel | Spreu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tätigkeit ohne Zweck und aus Freude | Dreschabfälle des Getreides aus Spelzen, Grannen und entkörnten Ährchen, die als Viehfutter verwendet werden |
Where the eye mixes Spiel and Spreu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Spiel (CCVVC) and Spreu (CCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Spiel and Spreu
A purely visual mix-up. Spiel ([ʃpiːl]) and Spreu ([ʃpʁɔɪ̯]) 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 45234, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spiel is recorded at frequency rank #303, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiːl]. Spreu is at rank #44,931, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpʁɔɪ̯].
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 45234, this pair ranks #1,359,989 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Spiel vs Spreu
Shared letters: eps. Private to "Spiel": il. Private to "Spreu": ru.
"Spiel" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Spreu" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Spiel" for "Spreu" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Spiel" vs "Spreu" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spiel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spreu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,359,989 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spiel" and "Spreu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sire vs Spreu". 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 #1,359,989 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.