Which to use
“Spiel” and “Stier” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #303
- “Spiel” frequency rank
- #13,949
- “Stier” frequency rank
- 14252
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spiel | Stier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tätigkeit ohne Zweck und aus Freude | männliches Hausrind, das geschlechtsreif ist |
Where the eye mixes Spiel and Stier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Spiel and Stier
A purely visual mix-up. Spiel ([ʃpiːl]) and Stier ([ʃtiːɐ̯]) 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 14252, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spiel is recorded at frequency rank #303, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiːl]. Stier is at rank #13,949, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtiːɐ̯].
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 14252, this pair ranks #1,952,525 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Spiel vs Stier
Shared letters: eis. Private to "Spiel": lp. Private to "Stier": rt.
"Spiel" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Stier" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Spiel" and "Stier" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Spiel" or "Stier" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Spiel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,952,525 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spiel" and "Stier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stier vs Stilen". 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 #1,952,525 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.