Which to use
“Spielerei” and “Spinnerei” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,792
- “Spielerei” frequency rank
- #44,930
- “Spinnerei” frequency rank
- 82722
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Spielerei | Spinnerei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | anhaltendes Spielen | Handlung/Vorgang, wobei Fäden entstehen |
Where the eye mixes Spielerei and Spinnerei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Spielerei (CCVVCVCVV) and Spinnerei (CCVCCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Spielerei and Spinnerei
A purely visual mix-up. Spielerei ([ʃpiːləˈʁaɪ̯]) and Spinnerei ([ʃpɪnəˈʁaɪ̯]) 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 82722, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Spielerei is recorded at frequency rank #37,792, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃpiːləˈʁaɪ̯]. Spinnerei is at rank #44,930, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃpɪnəˈʁaɪ̯].
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 82722, this pair ranks #152,206 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Spielerei vs Spinnerei
Shared letters: eiprs. Private to "Spielerei": l. Private to "Spinnerei": n.
"Spielerei" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCVCVV · "Spinnerei" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Spielerei" and "Spinnerei" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Spielerei" or "Spinnerei" show up more?
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 "Spielerei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spinnerei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #152,206 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Spielerei" and "Spinnerei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spielerei vs Spielereien". 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 #152,206 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.